2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sagataw
A variant spelling of the Native American surname Sag-a-tah meaning "to wade through water."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Sagataw. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sagataw 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Sagataw in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sagataw, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 69.8%. The next largest groups are White (15.5%) and Hispanic (6.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sagataw
The surname SAGATAW originates from the East Midlands region of England, dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Anglo-Saxon words "sæga" meaning "sawyer" and "tun" meaning "town," suggesting that the name may have referred to a settlement or village where sawyers, or woodcutters, lived and worked.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SAGATAW can be found in the parish records of Nottinghamshire in 1598, where a John Sagataw was listed as a resident of the town of Newark-on-Trent. The name also appears in the court rolls of Lincolnshire in the early 17th century, with a Thomas Sagataw mentioned as a landowner in the village of Scampton.
During the English Civil War (1642-1651), a Captain Robert Sagataw is noted as having served in the Parliamentarian forces under the command of Oliver Cromwell. His bravery in battle was recognized, and he was awarded a small estate in Rutland after the war's conclusion.
In the late 18th century, a notable bearer of the name was William Sagataw (1745-1822), a renowned clockmaker from Leicestershire. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by wealthy patrons and can still be found in museums and private collections today.
Another prominent figure was Sir George Sagataw (1798-1876), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Northamptonshire. He made his fortune in the textile industry and used his wealth to establish several schools and hospitals in the region.
Towards the end of the 19th century, the name gained recognition through the work of renowned author and historian, Emily Sagataw (1856-1932). Her seminal work, "The History of the East Midlands," remains a valuable resource for scholars studying the region's rich cultural heritage.
While the surname SAGATAW is not among the most common in England today, it continues to carry a rich history and legacy, reflecting the ingenuity and resilience of its bearers throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sagataw
Among Census respondents with the surname Sagataw, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 69.8%. The next largest groups are White (15.5%) and Hispanic (6.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sagataw 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 Sagataw surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- American Indian and Alaska Native69.8% · 81
- White15.5% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 8
- Two or more races6.9% · 8
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sagataw
Sagataw appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+9 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,600 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.4%) | Up 7,600 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 Sagataw 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 | #152,628 | #145,028 | 5.0% |
| Count | 107 | 116 | 8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sagataw bearers went from 107 to 116 (+8.4% change). The surname moved up 7,600 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #145,028.
FAQ
Sagataw surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sagataw?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Sagataw. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Sagataw?
Sagataw ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 116 people with the surname Sagataw. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Sagataw.
Has Sagataw become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sagataw went from 107 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 9 (+8.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Sagataw?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sagataw, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 69.8%. The next largest groups are White (15.5%) and Hispanic (6.9%). 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?
American Indian/Alaska Native is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sagataw in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.8% (81 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sagataw appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are American Indian/Alaska Native (69.8%), White (15.5%), Hispanic (6.9%). 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 Sagataw (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 Sagataw mean?
A variant spelling of the Native American surname Sag-a-tah meaning "to wade through water." 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 Sagataw (0.04 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 Sagataw?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.