2000
#53,191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 365
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Rare Last name
Sadat
Arabic surname meaning "felicity" or "good fortune".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,644 Americans carry the last name Sadat. That puts it at #18,962 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 208,488 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sadat 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 Sadat with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.6K
1 in 208,488
Census rank
#18,962
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,434 bearers of the surname Sadat in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18962nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sadat, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (21.3%) and White (16.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sadat
The surname Sadat has its origins in the Arab world, specifically Egypt. It can be traced back to the 12th century and is derived from the Arabic word "sadat," which means "leader" or "master." The name was initially used as a title or honorific for descendants of the Prophet Muhammad.
In the early days, the name Sadat was closely associated with the ruling class and nobility in Egypt. It was often used by members of the Fatimid and Ayyubid dynasties that ruled over parts of North Africa and the Middle East during the medieval period. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical accounts of the Fatimid Caliphate, which ruled from 909 to 1171.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Sadat was Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat (1918-1981), the third President of Egypt. He was a pivotal figure in the Middle East, known for his efforts to establish peace with Israel and for being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978, along with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
Another prominent figure with the surname Sadat was Salah al-Din al-Sadat (1164-1193), also known as Saladin. He was a Kurdish Muslim sultan who played a crucial role in uniting the Muslim world during the Crusades and is remembered for his successful military campaigns against the Crusaders, ultimately recapturing Jerusalem in 1187.
The name Sadat has also been associated with various scholarly and religious figures throughout history. For instance, Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Ismail al-Sadat (1044-1121) was an influential Sunni Muslim scholar and theologian from Nishapur, Iran, known for his contributions to the field of Islamic jurisprudence.
Another notable figure was Yahya ibn Adi al-Sadat (893-974), an Arab Christian philosopher and theologian from Takrit, Iraq. He was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of Baghdad and played a significant role in the translation movement that facilitated the transfer of knowledge from Greek and Syriac sources to Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age.
Over time, the name Sadat spread beyond Egypt and the Arab world, and individuals with this surname can be found in various parts of the world, including Europe, Asia, and North America. However, its roots remain firmly grounded in the rich history and heritage of the Middle East, serving as a reminder of the region's influential past and the enduring legacy of its rulers, scholars, and intellectuals.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sadat
Among Census respondents with the surname Sadat, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (21.3%) and White (16.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sadat 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 Sadat surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander57.5% · 824
- Two or more races21.3% · 306
- White16.8% · 241
- Black or African American3.1% · 45
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sadat
Sadat 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
#43,811
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 492
+127 bearers (+34.8%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 9,380 places
2020
#18,962
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,434
+942 bearers (+191.5%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Up 24,849 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #53,191 | 365 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #43,811 | 492 | 0.17 | +127 bearers (+34.8%) | Up 9,380 places |
| 2020 | #18,962 | 1,434 | 0.48 | +942 bearers (+191.5%) | Up 24,849 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 Sadat 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 | #43,811 | #18,962 | 56.7% |
| Count | 492 | 1,434 | 191.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.48 | 182.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sadat bearers went from 492 to 1,434 (+191.5% change). The surname moved up 24,849 positions in the national ranking, going from #43,811 to #18,962.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sadat
FAQ
Sadat surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sadat?
Name Census estimates that about 1,644 living Americans carry the surname Sadat. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 208,488 residents.
How common is Sadat?
Sadat ranks #18,962 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.48 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 1,434 people with the surname Sadat. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,644), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.48 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 Sadat.
Has Sadat become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sadat went from 492 recorded bearers to 1,434. That is an increase of 942 (+191.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #43,811 to #18,962.
What does the Census say about the background of Sadat?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sadat, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (21.3%) and White (16.8%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sadat in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.5% (824 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sadat appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (57.5%), Two or More Races (21.3%), White (16.8%). 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 Sadat (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 Sadat mean?
Arabic surname meaning "felicity" or "good fortune". 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 Sadat (0.48 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 Sadat?
Find out how many people have the surname Sadat on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.