Find out how popular the last name Sais is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sais.

Sais, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sais surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sais in America

Sais is the 23768th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sais surname appeared 1,064 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Sais.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sais to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Sais

The surname SAIS has its origins in Portugal, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Portuguese word "sais," which means "salts" or "salt marshes," suggesting that the name may have originated from a place where salt was produced or near coastal salt marshes.

One of the earliest known records of the SAIS surname appears in a historical document from 1567, which mentions a landowner named João SAIS in the town of Faro, located in the southern region of the Algarve. This region was known for its extensive salt marshes and salt production, further strengthening the connection between the surname and its potential origin.

In the 17th century, the SAIS surname is found in various records from the Lisbon area, indicating its spread throughout Portugal. One notable mention is a merchant named Manuel SAIS, who was involved in the lucrative salt trade between Lisbon and the Portuguese colonies in Africa and Brazil during the mid-1600s.

As the Portuguese empire expanded, the SAIS surname also made its way to other parts of the world, particularly Brazil, where descendants of the original Portuguese settlers bearing the name can be found. One of the earliest recorded instances in Brazil is from the late 18th century, when a man named José SAIS was listed as a landowner in the state of Bahia.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the SAIS surname. One of the earliest was Pedro SAIS (1548-1619), a renowned Portuguese architect who designed several churches and monasteries in the Lisbon area, including the Church of São Roque and the Monastery of Santa Maria de Belém.

Another notable figure was João SAIS (1773-1845), a Brazilian military officer who fought in the War of Independence against Portugal and later became a prominent politician and diplomat in the newly formed Empire of Brazil.

In the 20th century, Manuel SAIS (1901-1987) was a Portuguese writer and journalist who gained recognition for his novels and short stories depicting life in the Algarve region.

António SAIS (1926-2002) was a distinguished Portuguese architect known for his innovative designs, including the iconic Torre Vasco da Gama in Lisbon, completed in 1998.

More recently, Paulo SAIS (born 1968) is a Brazilian entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded a successful technology company and has been actively involved in various charitable initiatives.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sais

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sais.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sais was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sais has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sais was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sais, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!