Find out how popular the last name Saft is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Saft.
A German surname possibly derived from the German word "Saft" meaning "juice" or "liquid."
Saft, 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 Saft surname is from the 2010 census data.
Saft is the 63698th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Saft surname appeared 313 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 Saft.
We can also compare 2010 data for Saft 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.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | 63698 | 64186 | -0.76% |
Count | 313 | 290 | 7.63% |
Proportion per 100k | 0.11 | 0.11 | 0.00% |
The surname SAFT is believed to have originated in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Middle High German word "saft," meaning "juice" or "liquid." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone involved in the production or trade of liquids, such as a brewer or a winemaker.
One of the earliest known references to the name SAFT can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Saft is mentioned in a document from 1586. Another early record comes from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a Johannes Saft is listed in the town's tax records from the year 1612.
In the 17th century, the SAFT name began to spread beyond the borders of Germany. Records show that in 1632, a man named Peter Saft immigrated to the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam, which later became New York City. This early migration suggests that members of the SAFT family may have been among the first German settlers in the New World.
One of the most notable historical figures with the surname SAFT was Johann Michael Saft, a German philosopher and writer who lived from 1668 to 1745. Saft was a prolific author and is best known for his work on ethics and moral philosophy. His writings were widely read and influential during the Enlightenment period.
Another prominent individual with the SAFT name was August Wilhelm Saft, a German architect and urban planner who lived from 1798 to 1879. Saft was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities across Germany, including the Neues Museum and the Alte Nationalgalerie.
In the 19th century, the SAFT name also made its way to other parts of Europe. Records show that in 1842, a family by the name of Saft settled in the town of Brno, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in the Czech Republic). This branch of the SAFT family is believed to have originated from the Silesian region of Germany.
Throughout its history, the SAFT surname has also been associated with various place names and locations. For example, there is a small village in the German state of Saxony called Saft, which may have been named after an early bearer of the surname. Similarly, there is a street in the city of Mainz called Saftgasse, which translates to "Saft Alley," potentially a reference to a historical resident or family with the SAFT name.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Saft.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Saft was:
Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
---|---|---|
Non-Hispanic White Only | 93.93% | 294 |
Non-Hispanic Black Only | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | 0 |
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 1.92% | 6 |
Hispanic Origin | 2.88% | 9 |
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 Saft has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 93.93% | 96.55% | -2.75% |
Black | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Two or More Races | 1.92% | (S)% | (S)% |
Hispanic | 2.88% | (S)% | (S)% |
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 Saft was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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<a href="http://namecensus.com/last-names/saft-surname-popularity/">Saft last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
"Saft last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on May 6, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/saft-surname-popularity/.
"Saft last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/saft-surname-popularity/. Accessed 6 May, 2025
Saft last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/saft-surname-popularity/.
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