2000
#116,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Sackler
A surname referring to someone who manufactured or sold sacks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 109 Americans carry the last name Sackler. That puts it at #156,592 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,144,535 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sackler 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
109
1 in 3,144,535
Census rank
#156,592
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
95
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 95 bearers of the surname Sackler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156592nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sackler, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sackler
The surname Sackler is believed to have originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "sackler," which referred to a maker or seller of sacks or bags. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been involved in the textile or trade industry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Sackler name can be found in the town of Grimma, in Saxony, Germany. In the 16th century, a family with the surname Sackler was documented as residing in this region. It is possible that the name had already been in use for several generations before this record.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the Sackler name continued to be prevalent in various parts of Germany, with variations in spelling such as Sackler, Säckler, and Säckeler appearing in historical records. During this period, the name may have also been associated with certain occupations related to the production or handling of sacks or bags.
In the late 18th century, a notable individual bearing the Sackler surname was Johann Christian Sackler (1738-1809), a German theologian and author who wrote several religious texts. Another prominent figure was Karl Sackler (1792-1868), a German painter known for his landscapes and portraits.
As the 19th century progressed, the Sackler name began to spread beyond Germany, with some families emigrating to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. One such individual was Friedrich Sackler (1826-1894), a German-born American businessman who settled in New York City and established a successful import-export company.
In more recent history, the Sackler name gained prominence through the achievements of the Sackler family, a wealthy philanthropic dynasty with roots in Brooklyn, New York. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987), a physician and entrepreneur, made a fortune through the marketing of various pharmaceutical products, including the anti-anxiety drug Valium. His brothers, Raymond and Mortimer, also played significant roles in the family's business ventures and philanthropic endeavors.
Other notable individuals with the Sackler surname include Richard Sackler (born 1945), a former president of Purdue Pharma and a key figure in the marketing of the highly controversial opioid painkiller OxyContin, and Elizabeth Sackler (born 1948), an American philanthropist and activist known for her support of feminist art and causes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sackler
Among Census respondents with the surname Sackler, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Sackler 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 Sackler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.9% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sackler
Sackler 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
-8 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,775 places
2020
#156,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 95
-35 bearers (-26.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 25,982 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,835 | 138 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 13,775 places |
| 2020 | #156,592 | 95 | 0.03 | -35 bearers (-26.9%) | Down 25,982 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 Sackler 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 | #130,610 | #156,592 | -19.9% |
| Count | 130 | 95 | -26.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -20.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sackler bearers went from 130 to 95 (-26.9% change). The surname moved down 25,982 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #156,592.
FAQ
Sackler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sackler?
Name Census estimates that about 109 living Americans carry the surname Sackler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,144,535 residents.
How common is Sackler?
Sackler ranks #156,592 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 95 people with the surname Sackler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (109), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Sackler.
Has Sackler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sackler went from 130 recorded bearers to 95. That is a decrease of 35 (-26.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #156,592.
What does the Census say about the background of Sackler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sackler, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Sackler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.9% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sackler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.9%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Sackler (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 Sackler mean?
A surname referring to someone who manufactured or sold sacks. 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 Sackler (0.03 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 common is the surname Sackler?
See how common the surname Sackler is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.