2000
#6,839
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,531
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.68
Rare Last name
Sacks
An English occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold sacks or bags.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,922 Americans carry the last name Sacks. That puts it at #7,484 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,637 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sacks 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 Sacks with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 69,637
Census rank
#7,484
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,292 bearers of the surname Sacks in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7484th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sacks, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sacks
The surname Sacks has its origins in the medieval German language. It is derived from the Middle High German word "sac," which means a sack or bag. This suggests that the name may have been initially an occupational surname for someone who made or sold sacks.
The name Sacks is believed to have first appeared in records in the late 13th century in the region of Bavaria, Germany. It was likely used to identify individuals by their trade or occupation, which was a common practice during that time period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Sacks surname can be found in the Nuremberg Chronicles, a 16th-century world history book published in 1493. The book mentions a merchant named Hans Sacks, who lived in the city of Nuremberg in the late 15th century.
Another notable individual with the Sacks surname was Johann Baptist Sacks, a German composer and organist who lived from 1748 to 1794. He was known for his works for the organ and was highly regarded in his time.
In the 19th century, the surname Sacks was associated with several notable figures. One of them was Moses Sacks, a German-born merchant and philanthropist who lived from 1828 to 1909. He made significant contributions to various charitable causes in London, where he lived and worked.
The Sacks surname has also been linked to several place names in Germany, such as Sackingen and Sackrau. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in different regions.
Throughout history, the Sacks surname has been recorded with various spellings, including Sachs, Sax, and Sax. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and preferences in spelling and pronunciation.
Other individuals with the Sacks surname who have made notable contributions include Sir Jonathan Sacks, a British philosopher and rabbi who served as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1991 to 2013, and Oliver Sacks, a British neurologist and author who wrote several acclaimed books about his experiences with patients, including "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sacks
Among Census respondents with the surname Sacks, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Sacks 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 Sacks surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 3,886
- Two or more races3.2% · 138
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 136
- Black or African American1.8% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sacks
Sacks 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
#7,281
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,577
+46 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 442 places
2020
#7,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,292
-285 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Down 203 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,839 | 4,531 | 1.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,281 | 4,577 | 1.55 | +46 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 442 places |
| 2020 | #7,484 | 4,292 | 1.44 | -285 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 203 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 Sacks 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 | #7,281 | #7,484 | -2.8% |
| Count | 4,577 | 4,292 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.55 | 1.44 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sacks bearers went from 4,577 to 4,292 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 203 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,281 to #7,484.
FAQ
Sacks surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sacks?
Name Census estimates that about 4,922 living Americans carry the surname Sacks. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,637 residents.
How common is Sacks?
Sacks ranks #7,484 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.44 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 4,292 people with the surname Sacks. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,922), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.44 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 Sacks.
Has Sacks become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sacks went from 4,577 recorded bearers to 4,292. That is a decrease of 285 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,281 to #7,484.
What does the Census say about the background of Sacks?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sacks, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Sacks in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (3,886 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sacks appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Sacks (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 Sacks mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold sacks or bags. 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 Sacks (1.44 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 have the last name Sacks?
Want to know how many people have the surname Sacks? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.