2000
#3,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,691
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.96
Uncommon Last name
Sage
An English occupational surname referring to a wise person or a person who grew or sold sage plants.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,505 Americans carry the last name Sage. That puts it at #3,228 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,409 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sage 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sage with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 27,409
Census rank
#3,228
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,905 bearers of the surname Sage in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3228th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sage, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sage
The surname "Sage" is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "sage," meaning "wise" or "learned." This name likely originated in the 12th or 13th century during the Norman conquest of England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Sage" can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a Robert le Sage from Norfolk. The name may have been initially bestowed upon a person known for their wisdom, knowledge, or scholarly pursuits.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various medieval records, such as the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, which mentions a John Sage. During this period, the name was sometimes spelled as "Sayge" or "Seige."
The surname "Sage" has connections to several place names in England, such as Sage Cross and Sage Hill in Hertfordshire, which may have influenced the adoption of the name by individuals residing in those areas.
Notable individuals with the surname "Sage" throughout history include:
1. John Sage (1652-1711), an English theologian and clergyman who served as the Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
2. Alain René Lesage (1668-1747), a French novelist and playwright best known for his picaresque novel "Gil Blas."
3. Russell Sage (1816-1906), an American financier and railroad executive who amassed a significant fortune during the Gilded Age.
4. Lorne Sage (1925-2005), a Canadian actor and playwright known for his roles in various television series and films.
5. Angie Sage (born 1952), a British author best known for her fantasy book series "Septimus Heap."
While the surname "Sage" may have evolved from different roots in various regions, its English origins and association with wisdom and learning have endured throughout history, making it a distinctive and recognizable name across generations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sage
Among Census respondents with the surname Sage, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sage 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 Sage surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 9,436
- Two or more races4.0% · 431
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 401
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.3% · 359
- Black or African American1.7% · 180
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 98
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sage
Sage 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
#3,222
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,207
+516 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 3.80
Rank movement Down 113 places
2020
#3,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,905
-302 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 3.65
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,109 | 10,691 | 3.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,222 | 11,207 | 3.80 | +516 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 113 places |
| 2020 | #3,228 | 10,905 | 3.65 | -302 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 6 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 Sage 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 | #3,222 | #3,228 | -0.2% |
| Count | 11,207 | 10,905 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.80 | 3.65 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sage bearers went from 11,207 to 10,905 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,222 to #3,228.
FAQ
Sage surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sage?
Name Census estimates that about 12,505 living Americans carry the surname Sage. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,409 residents.
How common is Sage?
Sage ranks #3,228 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,905 people with the surname Sage. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,505), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Sage.
Has Sage become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sage went from 11,207 recorded bearers to 10,905. That is a decrease of 302 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,222 to #3,228.
What does the Census say about the background of Sage?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sage, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Sage in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (9,436 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sage appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Sage (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 Sage mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a wise person or a person who grew or sold sage plants. 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 Sage (3.65 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 Americans have the surname Sage?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.