Find out how popular the last name Saco is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Saco.

Saco, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Saco surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Saco in America

Saco is the 55841st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Saco surname appeared 367 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Saco.

We can also compare 2010 data for Saco to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Saco

The surname SACO is of Spanish origin, first appearing around the 12th century in the region of Galicia, northwestern Spain. It is derived from the Latin word "saccus," which means "sack" or "bag," and was likely an occupational surname given to someone who made or sold sacks or bags.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the SACO surname can be found in the "Cartulario de Sobrado," a medieval cartulary from the Sobrado Monastery in Galicia, dated around 1185. This document mentions a person named "Petrus Sacco," suggesting the name was already in use at that time.

In the 13th century, the SACO surname appears in various historical records across Spain, particularly in Galicia and the neighboring regions of Asturias and León. Some examples include "Fernandus Sacco" in a document from the Monastery of San Pelayo in Oviedo (1219) and "Iohanne Saco" in a charter from the Monastery of Santa María de Valdediós in Asturias (1240).

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the SACO surname began to spread to other parts of Spain, likely due to migration and the expansion of the Spanish Empire. Notable individuals with this surname from this period include Juan Saco de Butrón (c. 1495-1560), a Spanish nobleman and military leader who participated in the conquest of Mexico, and Sebastián Saco (c. 1520-1585), a Spanish navigator and explorer who accompanied Juan Fernández on his expeditions to the Pacific Ocean.

In the 17th century, the SACO surname can be found in various Spanish colonies in the Americas, indicating that individuals with this name had participated in the colonization efforts. For example, there are records of a Domingo Saco who settled in Puerto Rico in the early 1600s and a Juan Saco who was involved in the colonization of Florida in the late 1600s.

Another notable individual with the SACO surname was José Antonio Saco (1797-1879), a Cuban writer, historian, and political thinker who played a significant role in the intellectual and political movements of his time. He was a proponent of Cuban independence and wrote extensively on topics such as slavery, education, and economic reforms.

While the SACO surname is predominantly of Spanish origin, it has also been found in other parts of Europe, likely due to migration and cultural exchanges over the centuries. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval period in the northwestern region of Spain, where it emerged as an occupational surname related to the production or trade of sacks or bags.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Saco

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Saco.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Saco was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Saco has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Saco was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Saco, please contact us.

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