2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Saier
Of English/German origin, a habitational name for someone from a place called Saier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Saier. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Saier 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Saier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Saier, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Saier
The surname SAIER is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Sah," which means "to sow" or "to plant." The name likely referred to someone who worked as a sower or planter, possibly a farmer or agricultural worker.
The earliest recorded instances of the SAIER surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various German regions, including Bavaria and Saxony. In some historical records, the name appeared with slightly different spellings such as "Sayer," "Sayr," or "Sair," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions.
One of the earliest known references to the SAIER name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval Saxon charters and documents dating back to the 9th century. This record mentions a "Heinricus Saier" from the town of Meissen in the late 13th century.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the SAIER surname became more widespread across Germany. Notable individuals with this name include Johannes Saier (c. 1370-1445), a prominent German theologian and philosopher who served as the rector of the University of Leipzig.
In the 16th century, Matthias Saier (1516-1594) was a influential German Lutheran pastor and reformer who played a significant role in the spread of Protestantism in the region of Franconia.
Another notable figure was Hans Saier (1544-1610), a German artist and engraver from Nuremberg, known for his intricate woodcuts and engravings depicting biblical scenes and allegorical themes.
In the 17th century, Johann Saier (1629-1698) was a respected German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg.
The SAIER surname also found its way to other parts of Europe through migration and trade. For example, in the 18th century, there are records of a family with the surname SAIER living in the town of Riga, which was then part of the Swedish Empire (now in Latvia).
While the SAIER name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other countries and regions, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, through immigration and diaspora movements over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saier
Among Census respondents with the surname Saier, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Saier 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 Saier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Saier
Saier 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
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-8 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,498 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 7,498 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 Saier 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 | #144,141 | #151,639 | -5.2% |
| Count | 115 | 107 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Saier bearers went from 115 to 107 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 7,498 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #151,639.
FAQ
Saier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Saier?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Saier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Saier?
Saier ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Saier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Saier.
Has Saier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Saier went from 115 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Saier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Saier, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Saier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Saier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Hispanic (2.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Saier (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 Saier mean?
Of English/German origin, a habitational name for someone from a place called Saier. 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 Saier (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 Saier?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.