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

Saetern, 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 Saetern surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Saetern in America

Saetern is the 14058th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Saetern surname appeared 2,142 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Saetern.

We can also compare 2010 data for Saetern 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 Saetern

The surname SAETERN originated in Norway during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse words "sætr" meaning a mountain pasture or summer farm, and "ærne" which means an eagle. The name likely referred to someone who lived or worked at a mountain pasture frequented by eagles.

The earliest recorded example of the SAETERN name dates back to the 13th century, appearing in a land registry from the Gudbrandsdalen valley region of central Norway. Variations of the spelling included Saettern, Sættern, and Sæteren.

In the 16th century, a farmer named Torbjørn Saetern was recorded as owning land near the present-day town of Lom in Oppland county. His descendants continued to use the surname in that area for generations.

The SAETERN name is also found in historical records from the Telemark region of southern Norway, suggesting it may have independent origins there as well. A man named Halvor Saetern was listed as a landowner in Kviteseid parish in the late 1600s.

One of the earliest documented instances of the name outside of Norway comes from Iceland in the 1700s. Jón Sætern, born in 1712, was a farmer and merchant from Sauðárkrókur in the northwest of the island.

Notable individuals with the SAETERN surname include Peder Saetern, a 19th century Norwegian explorer who traveled extensively in Siberia and wrote about the indigenous peoples there. His dates are 1828-1895. Knut Saetern (1862-1931) was a prolific Norwegian novelist and playwright during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In more recent times, Ingrid Saetern (1915-2002) was a prominent Norwegian textile artist renowned for her intricate weavings inspired by traditional folk designs. Ola Sætern (born 1935) is a former cross-country skier who won multiple medals competing for Norway in the 1960 and 1964 Winter Olympics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Saetern

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

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 Saetern 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 Saetern 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 Saetern was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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