2000
#4,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,165
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.66
Rare Last name
Sachs
An occupational surname of German origin referring to someone who made knives or lived near a brook.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,797 Americans carry the last name Sachs. That puts it at #5,004 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,960 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sachs 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sachs with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.8K
1 in 43,960
Census rank
#5,004
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,799 bearers of the surname Sachs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5004th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sachs, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sachs
The surname SACHS has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "sahhs," which referred to a type of knife or sword. The name was likely given to someone who was a maker or seller of these weapons.
In the 12th century, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts across German-speaking regions, particularly in areas like Saxony and Bavaria. Some of the earliest documented instances include Henricus Sachse in 1198 and Rudolfus Sachs in 1211.
The name SACHS was also associated with certain place names, such as Sachsenhausen, which means "houses of the Saxons." This suggests that some individuals bearing the name may have originated from or lived in these locations.
One of the earliest notable figures with the surname SACHS was Hans Sachs (1494-1576), a famous German Meistersinger (master singer) and shoemaker from Nuremberg. He wrote over 6,000 works, including plays, poems, and songs, and is regarded as one of the most important poets of the German Renaissance.
Another prominent individual was the philosopher and mathematician Julius Friedrich Philipp Sachs (1832-1897), who made significant contributions to the study of plant physiology and is considered a pioneer in the field of plant electrophysiology.
In the realm of music, the composer and conductor Walter Sachs (1892-1945) gained recognition for his compositions and his work as a music director in various German cities.
The surname SACHS also has a connection to the world of literature through the German-born American novelist and playwright Nelly Sachs (1891-1970), who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1966 for her "outstanding lyrical and dramatic writing, which interprets Israel's destiny with touching strength."
Another notable figure is the German-American chemist and inventor Walter Sachs (1858-1919), who is credited with developing the first synthetic rubber and numerous other chemical processes and inventions.
While these are just a few examples, the surname SACHS has a rich history and has been borne by many accomplished individuals across various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sachs
Among Census respondents with the surname Sachs, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sachs 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 Sachs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 6,214
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 297
- Two or more races2.7% · 182
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 62
- Black or African American0.6% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sachs
Sachs 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
#4,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,248
+83 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 2.46
Rank movement Down 321 places
2020
#5,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,799
-449 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 2.27
Rank movement Down 138 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,545 | 7,165 | 2.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,866 | 7,248 | 2.46 | +83 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 321 places |
| 2020 | #5,004 | 6,799 | 2.27 | -449 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 138 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 Sachs 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 | #4,866 | #5,004 | -2.8% |
| Count | 7,248 | 6,799 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.46 | 2.27 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sachs bearers went from 7,248 to 6,799 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 138 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,866 to #5,004.
FAQ
Sachs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sachs?
Name Census estimates that about 7,797 living Americans carry the surname Sachs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,960 residents.
How common is Sachs?
Sachs ranks #5,004 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,799 people with the surname Sachs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,797), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Sachs.
Has Sachs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sachs went from 7,248 recorded bearers to 6,799. That is a decrease of 449 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,866 to #5,004.
What does the Census say about the background of Sachs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sachs, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Sachs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (6,214 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sachs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Sachs (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 Sachs mean?
An occupational surname of German origin referring to someone who made knives or lived near a brook. 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 Sachs (2.27 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 Sachs?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.