2000
#5,759
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,506
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.04
Rare Last name
Sackett
An English occupational surname referring to someone who made sacks or worked with sackcloth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,304 Americans carry the last name Sackett. That puts it at #6,016 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,371 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sackett 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 Sackett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.3K
1 in 54,371
Census rank
#6,016
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,497 bearers of the surname Sackett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6016th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sackett, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sackett
The surname Sackett originates from England, with its roots tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "sacca," meaning a small sack or bag, possibly referring to an occupation or trade.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Sackett can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, where it appears as "Saket." This suggests that the name was already established in that region during the medieval period.
The Sackett family is thought to have originated in the county of Suffolk, with some of the earliest records indicating their presence in the villages of Bury St. Edmunds and Coddenham. The name is also found in various historical documents from neighboring counties like Essex and Norfolk.
In the 16th century, the Sackett surname was sometimes spelled as "Sakett" or "Sacket," reflecting the variations in spelling that were common before standardization became widespread. During this time, the name appears in the parish records of Suffolk, indicating the family's continued presence in the region.
One notable Sackett was Robert Sackett, born in the late 16th century, who was a successful merchant and landowner in the village of Bury St. Edmunds. His descendants continued to play a significant role in the local community for generations.
In the 17th century, the Sackett family began to spread beyond Suffolk, with branches establishing themselves in other parts of England, including London and the West Country. One prominent figure from this era was John Sackett (1592-1668), a wealthy cloth merchant and benefactor who contributed to the construction of several churches in London.
As the British Empire expanded, the Sackett name also found its way to other parts of the world. In the 18th century, Thomas Sackett (1708-1786), a farmer from Suffolk, emigrated to the American colonies and settled in New York, becoming one of the earliest Sacketts in North America.
Another noteworthy individual was William Sackett (1811-1891), a British politician and Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire in the mid-19th century. He was known for his advocacy of agricultural reforms and his support for the working class.
Throughout its history, the Sackett surname has been associated with various occupations, including tradesmen, merchants, farmers, and professionals. While not a particularly widespread name, it has maintained a presence in England and other parts of the English-speaking world for centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sackett
Among Census respondents with the surname Sackett, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sackett 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 Sackett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 4,932
- Two or more races4.6% · 252
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 215
- Black or African American0.7% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sackett
Sackett 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
#5,994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,735
+229 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Down 235 places
2020
#6,016
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,497
-238 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.84
Rank movement Down 22 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,759 | 5,506 | 2.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,994 | 5,735 | 1.94 | +229 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 235 places |
| 2020 | #6,016 | 5,497 | 1.84 | -238 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 22 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 Sackett 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 | #5,994 | #6,016 | -0.4% |
| Count | 5,735 | 5,497 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.94 | 1.84 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sackett bearers went from 5,735 to 5,497 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 22 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,994 to #6,016.
FAQ
Sackett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sackett?
Name Census estimates that about 6,304 living Americans carry the surname Sackett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,371 residents.
How common is Sackett?
Sackett ranks #6,016 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.84 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 5,497 people with the surname Sackett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,304), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.84 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 Sackett.
Has Sackett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sackett went from 5,735 recorded bearers to 5,497. That is a decrease of 238 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,994 to #6,016.
What does the Census say about the background of Sackett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sackett, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Sackett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (4,932 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sackett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Sackett (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 Sackett mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who made sacks or worked with sackcloth. 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 Sackett (1.84 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 people are called Sackett?
See how many Americans have the surname Sackett on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.