2000
#60,230
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 313
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Sagal
A Jewish surname derived from the Biblical name of a town called Shagal in Israel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 501 Americans carry the last name Sagal. That puts it at #51,462 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 684,140 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sagal 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
501
1 in 684,140
Census rank
#51,462
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
437
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 437 bearers of the surname Sagal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 51462nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sagal, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (36.4%) and Black (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sagal
The surname SAGAL is believed to have originated in the region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Latin word 'sagalis', which refers to a type of coarse woolen cloak or garment worn by shepherds and peasants.
The earliest known record of the SAGAL surname dates back to the 13th century, where it appeared in several local documents from the town of Vic, near Barcelona. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name was Joan Sagal, a wool merchant who lived in Vic in the late 1200s.
In the 14th century, the SAGAL surname began to spread beyond Catalonia and into other parts of Spain, as well as into neighboring regions of southern France. During this time, variations of the spelling emerged, such as Sagala, Sagales, and Sagall.
One notable figure in the history of the SAGAL name was Bernat Sagal, a 15th-century merchant and landowner from the town of Girona, who was involved in the local wool trade and became quite wealthy. His descendants continued to use the SAGAL surname for generations.
Another prominent individual bearing the SAGAL name was Jaume Sagal (1520-1587), a renowned Catalan architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Barcelona and surrounding areas.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the SAGAL surname began to appear in records from other parts of Europe, as members of the family migrated to different regions. For example, there are records of individuals named SAGAL living in parts of Italy, France, and the Netherlands during this time.
One notable figure from this period was Pedro Sagal (1602-1674), a Spanish military officer who served in the Thirty Years' War and later became a colonial administrator in the Spanish territories in the Americas.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the SAGAL surname continued to spread across Europe and beyond, with individuals bearing the name appearing in various historical records and documents from various countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sagal
Among Census respondents with the surname Sagal, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (36.4%) and Black (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Sagal 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 Sagal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.1% · 245
- Hispanic or Latino36.4% · 159
- Black or African American4.6% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 9
- Two or more races0.9% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sagal
Sagal 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
#51,066
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 408
+95 bearers (+30.4%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Up 9,164 places
2020
#51,462
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 437
+29 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 396 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #60,230 | 313 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #51,066 | 408 | 0.14 | +95 bearers (+30.4%) | Up 9,164 places |
| 2020 | #51,462 | 437 | 0.15 | +29 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 396 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 Sagal 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 | #51,066 | #51,462 | -0.8% |
| Count | 408 | 437 | 7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.15 | 4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sagal bearers went from 408 to 437 (+7.1% change). The surname moved down 396 positions in the national ranking, going from #51,066 to #51,462.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sagal
FAQ
Sagal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sagal?
Name Census estimates that about 501 living Americans carry the surname Sagal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 684,140 residents.
How common is Sagal?
Sagal ranks #51,462 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 437 people with the surname Sagal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (501), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Sagal.
Has Sagal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sagal went from 408 recorded bearers to 437. That is an increase of 29 (+7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #51,066 to #51,462.
What does the Census say about the background of Sagal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sagal, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (36.4%) and Black (4.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sagal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.1% (245 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sagal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.1%), Hispanic (36.4%), Black (4.6%). 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 Sagal (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 Sagal mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the Biblical name of a town called Shagal in Israel. 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 Sagal (0.15 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 many people share the surname Sagal?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.