2000
#1,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,211
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.09
Uncommon Last name
Saenz
A Spanish surname derived from the Basque word "sagar," meaning "apple," likely referring to an apple orchard or farmer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 38,328 Americans carry the last name Saenz. That puts it at #1,032 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,943 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Saenz 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
38K
1 in 8,943
Census rank
#1,032
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
33K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 33,424 bearers of the surname Saenz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1032nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Saenz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Saenz
The surname Saenz has its origins in Spain, where it first emerged in the medieval period. It is a patronymic name derived from the personal name Sancho, which itself has roots in the Latin name Sanctius, meaning "holy" or "saintly."
In its earliest forms, the name was spelled Sanchez, reflecting its patronymic nature as "son of Sancho." Over time, regional variations in spelling emerged, with the form Saenz becoming prevalent in certain areas of Spain, particularly in the northern regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Saenz can be found in medieval Spanish documents from the 13th century, where it appears in records of land ownership and legal transactions. This suggests that the name was well-established among the Spanish nobility and landowners of that era.
As the name spread across Spain and into other Spanish-speaking regions, it took on various forms, such as Sáenz, Sáinz, and Sáintz. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and pronunciation patterns.
Notable historical figures bearing the surname Saenz include Pedro Saenz de Vizmanos, a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Puerto Rico in the early 19th century (1806-1809). Another prominent individual was Miguel Saenz, a Mexican politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the late 19th century (1879-1880).
In the realm of literature, the name is associated with the Spanish writer and philosopher Pedro Sáinz Rodríguez (1897-1986), who was a prominent figure in the Generation of '27 and a member of the Royal Spanish Academy.
Moving to the Americas, one notable bearer of the name was Luis Muñoz Marín Sáenz (1898-1980), a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician who served as the first democratically elected governor of Puerto Rico.
Another historical figure with the surname Saenz was María Felipa Sáenz de Vizmanos (1779-1860), a Venezuelan revolutionary and companion of Simón Bolívar, known as "la primera dama de la independencia" (the first lady of independence) for her role in the liberation struggles of Venezuela and Colombia.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Saenz, reflecting its deep roots in Spanish and Latin American cultures, as well as its association with various historical figures and events.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saenz
Among Census respondents with the surname Saenz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Saenz 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 Saenz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.3% · 30,527
- White7.3% · 2,445
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 153
- Two or more races0.3% · 115
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 107
- Black or African American0.2% · 77
Timeline
Historical Census data for Saenz
Saenz 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
#1,029
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,787
+6,576 bearers (+24.2%)
Per 100,000 11.45
Rank movement Up 153 places
2020
#1,032
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,424
-363 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 11.18
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,182 | 27,211 | 10.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,029 | 33,787 | 11.45 | +6,576 bearers (+24.2%) | Up 153 places |
| 2020 | #1,032 | 33,424 | 11.18 | -363 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 3 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 Saenz 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 | #1,029 | #1,032 | -0.3% |
| Count | 33,787 | 33,424 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 11.45 | 11.18 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Saenz bearers went from 33,787 to 33,424 (-1.1% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,029 to #1,032.
FAQ
Saenz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Saenz?
Name Census estimates that about 38,328 living Americans carry the surname Saenz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,943 residents.
How common is Saenz?
Saenz ranks #1,032 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 33,424 people with the surname Saenz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (38,328), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Saenz.
Has Saenz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Saenz went from 33,787 recorded bearers to 33,424. That is a decrease of 363 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,029 to #1,032.
What does the Census say about the background of Saenz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Saenz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (7.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Saenz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (30,527 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Saenz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.3%), White (7.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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 Saenz (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 Saenz mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Basque word "sagar," meaning "apple," likely referring to an apple orchard or farmer. 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 Saenz (11.18 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 Saenz?
You can see how many people are called Saenz on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.