2000
#32,529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 666
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Sacher
A surname deriving from the German word "sacher" meaning "inhabitant of Saxon lands."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 720 Americans carry the last name Sacher. That puts it at #38,010 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 476,048 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sacher surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
720
1 in 476,048
Census rank
#38,010
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
628
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 628 bearers of the surname Sacher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38010th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sacher, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sacher
The surname Sacher is of German origin, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from the word "Sacher," which was an occupational name for a maker or seller of sachets, small bags or pouches filled with aromatic herbs or spices.
Sacher is thought to have first emerged in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it was closely associated with the spice trade and the production of sachets. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries, often appearing as "Sacher" or variations like "Sacher" or "Sacherer."
One notable historical reference to the name Sacher can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a merchant named Hans Sacher is mentioned in a document from the year 1437. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region during the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the surname Sacher gained prominence with the rise of the Sacher family, who were influential merchants and traders in the city of Leipzig. Johann Sacher (1524-1592), a successful spice merchant and member of this family, left a lasting legacy through his business ventures and philanthropic efforts.
Another notable figure bearing the Sacher surname was Franz Sacher (1816-1907), an Austrian pastry chef and inventor of the world-famous Sachertorte, a rich chocolate cake that remains a beloved Austrian culinary tradition to this day.
Other individuals of historical significance with the surname Sacher include:
1. Gottfried Sacher (1654-1719), a German composer and organist from Nuremberg.
2. Eduard Sacher (1834-1903), an Austrian architect and urban planner who designed several iconic buildings in Vienna.
3. Mascha Sacher (1867-1935), a Russian-born actress and singer who performed in various theaters across Europe.
4. Karl Sacher (1895-1972), an Austrian-American film director and screenwriter active in Hollywood during the Golden Age of cinema.
5. Erich Sacher (1910-1996), a German soldier and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II.
While the surname Sacher may have evolved and spread to different parts of the world over time, its origins can be traced back to the spice trade and the occupational name associated with the production and sale of sachets in medieval Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sacher
Among Census respondents with the surname Sacher, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sacher bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Sacher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 572
- Two or more races4.1% · 26
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 4
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sacher
Sacher appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#37,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 587
-79 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 5,319 places
2020
#38,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 628
+41 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 162 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,529 | 666 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #37,848 | 587 | 0.20 | -79 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 5,319 places |
| 2020 | #38,010 | 628 | 0.21 | +41 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 162 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Sacher surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #37,848 | #38,010 | -0.4% |
| Count | 587 | 628 | 7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.20 | 0.21 | 5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sacher bearers went from 587 to 628 (+7.0% change). The surname moved down 162 positions in the national ranking, going from #37,848 to #38,010.
FAQ
Sacher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sacher?
Name Census estimates that about 720 living Americans carry the surname Sacher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 476,048 residents.
How common is Sacher?
Sacher ranks #38,010 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 628 people with the surname Sacher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (720), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Sacher.
Has Sacher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sacher went from 587 recorded bearers to 628. That is an increase of 41 (+7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #37,848 to #38,010.
What does the Census say about the background of Sacher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sacher, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sacher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (572 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sacher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (3.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Sacher (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Sacher mean?
A surname deriving from the German word "sacher" meaning "inhabitant of Saxon lands." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Sacher (0.21 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Sacher?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.