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

Saga, 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 Saga surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Saga in America

Saga is the 115034th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Saga surname appeared 152 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 Saga.

We can also compare 2010 data for Saga 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 Saga

The surname SAGA has its origins in Norway and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old Norse word 'saga', which means a story or a narrative. The name was likely given to individuals who were skilled storytellers or bards.

In medieval Norway, sagas were oral traditions passed down through generations, often recounting the exploits of famous Vikings, kings, and heroes. The earliest recorded instances of the surname SAGA can be found in Norwegian census records and parish registers from the 1200s.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname SAGA was Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241), an Icelandic historian, poet, and chieftain. He is best known for writing the Prose Edda, a collection of Old Norse myths and legends, as well as the Heimskringla, a historical account of the Norwegian kings.

In the 14th century, the name SAGA appeared in the Icelandic Annals, a collection of medieval manuscripts that chronicled important events in Icelandic history. One such entry mentions a man named Thorvald SAGA, who was involved in a legal dispute over land ownership in 1344.

Another notable figure with the surname SAGA was Bjarni SAGA (1550-1618), an Icelandic poet and clergyman. He is renowned for his religious poetry and for translating portions of the Bible into Icelandic.

The name SAGA is also associated with several place names in Norway and Iceland. For instance, there is a village called Saga in the Norwegian county of Trøndelag, which was likely named after a person or family with the surname.

Other historical figures who bore the surname SAGA include Gudrun SAGA (1628-1702), an Icelandic folk healer and midwife, and Egil SAGA (1772-1840), a Norwegian farmer and local politician.

While the surname SAGA is relatively rare today, it remains a testament to the rich storytelling traditions of the Nordic countries and the lasting impact of the ancient sagas on their cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Saga

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

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

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

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