2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Saige
A variant spelling of the surname Sage, of French origin meaning "wise" or "judicious".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Saige. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Saige 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Saige in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Saige, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.6%) and Hispanic (8.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Saige
The surname SAIGE is of French origin, originating in the northern regions of the country during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "saige," meaning "wise" or "prudent." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who was considered particularly intelligent or wise.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SAIGE can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England and parts of Wales conducted in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Saige" in the records for the county of Norfolk.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name SAIGE remained prevalent in various forms across northern France, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Picardy. Historical records from this period show variations such as "Saige," "Sage," and "Sages."
In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Jean Saige, a prominent scholar and theologian born in Paris around 1230. He served as a canon of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame and was renowned for his contributions to the field of theology.
Another prominent figure was Étienne Saige, a French nobleman and military commander who lived in the late 15th century. He played a significant role in the Italian Wars during the reign of King Charles VIII of France.
During the 16th century, the name SAIGE can be found in connection with several place names in France, such as Saugé in the department of Sarthe and Saiges in the department of Haute-Saône. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in certain regions.
In the 17th century, Pierre Saige, born in 1623 in Marseille, gained recognition as a talented painter and engraver. His works were highly regarded and can be found in various art collections throughout France.
Another notable bearer of the name was Gustave Saige, a French historian and archivist who lived from 1844 to 1922. He made significant contributions to the study of the history of Monaco and the Grimaldi dynasty.
While the surname SAIGE has its roots in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, its origins and historical significance remain closely tied to the northern regions of France, particularly during the medieval and early modern periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saige
Among Census respondents with the surname Saige, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.6%) and Hispanic (8.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Saige 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 Saige surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.0% · 87
- Two or more races10.6% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino8.8% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Saige
Saige 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,400 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,080 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 5,400 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,080 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 Saige 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 | #147,221 | -2.1% |
| Count | 115 | 113 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Saige bearers went from 115 to 113 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,080 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #147,221.
FAQ
Saige surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Saige?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Saige. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Saige?
Saige ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Saige. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Saige.
Has Saige become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Saige went from 115 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Saige?
Among Census respondents with the surname Saige, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.6%) and Hispanic (8.8%). 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 Saige in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.0% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Saige appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.0%), Two or More Races (10.6%), Hispanic (8.8%). 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 Saige (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 Saige mean?
A variant spelling of the surname Sage, of French origin meaning "wise" or "judicious". 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 Saige (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 common is the surname Saige?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Saige on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.