2000
#8,422
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,604
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Sack
An occupational surname for someone who made or sold sacks, or a nickname for a large, awkward person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,827 Americans carry the last name Sack. That puts it at #9,356 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 89,562 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sack 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 Sack with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 89,562
Census rank
#9,356
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,337 bearers of the surname Sack in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9356th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sack, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sack
The surname SACK is of English origin, emerging in the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "sacc," meaning a sack or bag, which was likely an occupational name for someone who worked with sacks, such as a sack maker or carrier.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname SACK dates back to the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where it is listed as "le Sak" in Cambridgeshire. This early spelling variation highlights the connection to the Old English word "sacc."
During the 13th century, the surname SACK appeared in various medieval records, including the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1279, where a William le Sak is mentioned. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296 also list a John le Sak.
In the 14th century, the surname SACK continued to be documented in various records. For instance, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 mention a John le Sak, while the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1381 list a Robert Sak.
One notable early bearer of the surname SACK was John Sack, a 15th-century English scholar and theologian born around 1420. He was a member of the University of Oxford and is known for his commentary on the works of Aristotle.
Another prominent individual with the surname SACK was Sir John Sack, a 16th-century English merchant and Member of Parliament. He was born in Walthamstow, Essex, around 1530 and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1593.
In the 17th century, the surname SACK was found in various locations across England. For example, the parish records of Houghton-le-Spring, Durham, mention the baptism of William Sack in 1622, while the registers of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, record the marriage of John Sack and Mary Baxter in 1668.
Sackville Tufton, the 9th Earl of Thanet, born in 1733, was a notable figure with the surname SACK. He was a British peer and served as the Lord Lieutenant of Kent from 1766 until his death in 1786.
In the 19th century, the surname SACK was found in various parts of the United Kingdom. One notable bearer was John Sack, a British-born American writer and journalist who lived from 1822 to 1894. He is known for his works on American history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sack
Among Census respondents with the surname Sack, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sack 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 Sack surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 3,053
- Two or more races3.0% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 92
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 30
- Black or African American0.7% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sack
Sack 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
#8,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,729
+125 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 369 places
2020
#9,356
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,337
-392 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Down 565 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,422 | 3,604 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,791 | 3,729 | 1.26 | +125 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 369 places |
| 2020 | #9,356 | 3,337 | 1.12 | -392 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 565 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 Sack 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 | #8,791 | #9,356 | -6.4% |
| Count | 3,729 | 3,337 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.12 | -11.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sack bearers went from 3,729 to 3,337 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 565 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,791 to #9,356.
FAQ
Sack surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sack?
Name Census estimates that about 3,827 living Americans carry the surname Sack. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 89,562 residents.
How common is Sack?
Sack ranks #9,356 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,337 people with the surname Sack. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,827), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sack.
Has Sack become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sack went from 3,729 recorded bearers to 3,337. That is a decrease of 392 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,791 to #9,356.
What does the Census say about the background of Sack?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sack, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Sack in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (3,053 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sack appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Sack (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 Sack mean?
An occupational surname for someone who made or sold sacks, or a nickname for a large, awkward person. 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 Sack (1.12 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 Sack?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.