2000
#7,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,926
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Saddler
An occupational surname referring to a person who makes, repairs, or sells saddles and other riding equipment.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,574 Americans carry the last name Saddler. That puts it at #7,964 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,935 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Saddler 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 Saddler with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 74,935
Census rank
#7,964
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,989 bearers of the surname Saddler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7964th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Saddler, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.4%. The next largest groups are White (44.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Saddler
The surname Saddler is an occupational name derived from the Old English word 'sadel', which means 'a seat for a rider'. It originated in England and was given to skilled craftsmen who made saddles for horses. The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Sadeler'.
The name Saddler became more widespread during the medieval period, particularly in areas with a strong equestrian tradition. It was commonly found in counties like Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Warwickshire, where skilled saddlers were in high demand.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Saddler, who lived in Nottinghamshire in the 13th century. Records from that time show that he was a respected saddler and leatherworker.
In the 14th century, a notable figure with the surname Saddler was Richard Saddler, a saddler from London who supplied saddles to the royal household. He was mentioned in the court records of King Edward III in 1349.
During the Renaissance period, the name Saddler was also associated with the literary world. William Saddler (1516-1587) was an English poet and writer who gained recognition for his poetry and plays.
In the 17th century, the Saddler family established themselves as successful merchants and landowners in various parts of England. One prominent member was Sir Thomas Saddler (1628-1706), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist from Bristol.
As the industrial revolution took hold, the name Saddler became less associated with the traditional craft and more with the growing manufacturing industry. John Saddler (1786-1856) was a renowned engineer and inventor from Birmingham, known for his innovations in steam engine design.
Throughout history, the surname Saddler has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, reflecting the diverse occupations and achievements of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saddler
Among Census respondents with the surname Saddler, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.4%. The next largest groups are White (44.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Saddler 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 Saddler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American46.4% · 1,849
- White44.5% · 1,777
- Two or more races4.0% · 159
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 146
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Saddler
Saddler 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
#7,753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,282
+356 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Up 60 places
2020
#7,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,989
-293 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 211 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,813 | 3,926 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,753 | 4,282 | 1.45 | +356 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 60 places |
| 2020 | #7,964 | 3,989 | 1.33 | -293 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 211 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 Saddler 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 | #7,753 | #7,964 | -2.7% |
| Count | 4,282 | 3,989 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.45 | 1.33 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Saddler bearers went from 4,282 to 3,989 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 211 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,753 to #7,964.
FAQ
Saddler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Saddler?
Name Census estimates that about 4,574 living Americans carry the surname Saddler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,935 residents.
How common is Saddler?
Saddler ranks #7,964 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 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 3,989 people with the surname Saddler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,574), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 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 Saddler.
Has Saddler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Saddler went from 4,282 recorded bearers to 3,989. That is a decrease of 293 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,753 to #7,964.
What does the Census say about the background of Saddler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Saddler, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.4%. The next largest groups are White (44.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Saddler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.4% (1,849 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Saddler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (46.4%), White (44.5%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Saddler (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 Saddler mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who makes, repairs, or sells saddles and other riding equipment. 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 Saddler (1.33 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 Saddler?
Want to know how many people have the surname Saddler? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.