2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Sagman
An occupational surname derived from the word "sag" meaning sawyer or wood-cutter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Sagman. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sagman 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Sagman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sagman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sagman
The surname Sagman has its origins in medieval Germany, emerging in the late 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "sagen," which means "to say" or "to speak." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who was a public speaker, storyteller, or perhaps even a town crier.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sagman can be found in the Heidelberg municipal records of 1298, where a certain Hermannus Sagman is mentioned as a resident of the city. It is likely that this individual or their ancestors adopted the name due to their profession or reputation as skilled orators or storytellers.
In the 14th century, the name appears to have spread across various regions of Germany, with variations in spelling such as Sagemann, Sagmann, and Saghman appearing in historical documents from cities like Cologne, Nuremberg, and Frankfurt.
Interestingly, a notable figure named Johannes Sagman is recorded in the annals of the University of Leipzig in the early 15th century. He was a respected scholar and professor of theology, born in 1402 and serving the university until his death in 1478.
Another individual of note was Matthias Sagman, a prominent merchant and trader from Hamburg who lived during the late 16th century. His business dealings and travels throughout Europe and the Baltic region are well-documented in various trade records and correspondence from the time.
In the 17th century, the name Sagman can be found in the records of the Thirty Years' War, where a certain Heinrich Sagman is mentioned as a soldier in the Imperial Army. His name appears in a roster of troops stationed in the city of Magdeburg during the conflict.
As the name spread across Europe, it also found its way to other regions. In the 18th century, a family by the name of Sagman settled in the Netherlands, and their descendants can be traced through various municipal records and church registers from that period.
Another notable figure was Johann Sagman, a respected clockmaker and watchmaker who lived in the German city of Augsburg in the late 18th century. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after and can still be found in various museums and private collections.
While the surname Sagman is not as common today as it once was, it has left an indelible mark on history, with its origins firmly rooted in the rich cultural traditions of medieval Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sagman
Among Census respondents with the surname Sagman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sagman 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 Sagman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 3
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sagman
Sagman 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
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+9 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,280 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 9,280 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 Sagman 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 | #157,234 | #147,954 | 5.9% |
| Count | 103 | 112 | 8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 24.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sagman bearers went from 103 to 112 (+8.7% change). The surname moved up 9,280 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #147,954.
FAQ
Sagman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sagman?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Sagman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Sagman?
Sagman ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Sagman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Sagman.
Has Sagman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sagman went from 103 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 9 (+8.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Sagman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sagman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%). 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 Sagman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sagman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Hispanic (3.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%). 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 Sagman (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 Sagman mean?
An occupational surname derived from the word "sag" meaning sawyer or wood-cutter. 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 Sagman (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 are called Sagman?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Sagman? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.