2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Saiger
A surname originating from a variant of the German word "seiger", meaning "descender" or referring to someone working in a mine.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Saiger. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Saiger 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Saiger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Saiger, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.6%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Saiger
The surname Saiger has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Saxony and Bavaria, where it was used as a descriptive name for a person who was involved in the production or sale of saige, a type of cloth made from silk.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Saiger can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. In these records, the name appears as "Saigere," indicating its connection to the textile industry.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the name Saiger was Johann Saiger, a merchant and landowner from the city of Nuremberg. He was known for his involvement in the local textile trade and his contributions to the city's economic development.
The name Saiger also appears in various municipal records and tax rolls from the 15th and 16th centuries in the regions of Franconia and Swabia, suggesting that it was a relatively widespread surname during that period.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Saiger in England was Hans Saiger, a German immigrant who settled in London in the late 16th century and worked as a silk weaver. His descendants continued to use the surname, which gradually evolved into the English spelling "Sagger" over time.
Another notable individual with the surname Saiger was the 17th-century German artist and engraver, Johann Friedrich Saiger, who was born in Nuremberg in 1639 and became known for his intricate etchings and engravings depicting religious and mythological scenes.
In the 18th century, the surname Saiger is recorded in various church records and census documents across regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Württemberg, indicating its continued use and prevalence in these areas.
One of the most prominent figures with the surname Saiger was the 19th-century German philosopher and writer, Friedrich Saiger, who was born in Dresden in 1807 and became known for his works on ethics and social philosophy.
Throughout its history, the surname Saiger has been associated with various occupations and professions, particularly those related to the textile industry, but it has also been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and fields of expertise.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saiger
Among Census respondents with the surname Saiger, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.6%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Saiger 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 Saiger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.6% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 6
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Saiger
Saiger 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-10 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 20,971 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+17 bearers (+16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 16,201 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 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 20,971 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+16.8%) | Up 16,201 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 Saiger 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 | #159,712 | #143,511 | 10.1% |
| Count | 101 | 118 | 16.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 31.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Saiger bearers went from 101 to 118 (+16.8% change). The surname moved up 16,201 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #143,511.
FAQ
Saiger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Saiger?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Saiger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Saiger?
Saiger ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Saiger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Saiger.
Has Saiger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Saiger went from 101 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 17 (+16.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Saiger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Saiger, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.6%) and Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Saiger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Saiger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.6%), Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Saiger (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 Saiger mean?
A surname originating from a variant of the German word "seiger", meaning "descender" or referring to someone working in a mine. 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 Saiger (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 have the last name Saiger?
You can see how many people are called Saiger on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.