2000
#43,546
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 467
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Saller
Habitational surname originating from a Germanic place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 537 Americans carry the last name Saller. That puts it at #48,712 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 638,276 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Saller 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Saller with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
537
1 in 638,276
Census rank
#48,712
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
468
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 468 bearers of the surname Saller in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 48712th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Saller, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Saller
The surname SALLER is of German origin and is believed to have originated in the 14th century. It is derived from the German word "saler," which referred to a person who produced or dealt in salt, a highly valuable commodity in medieval times. The name is thought to have first appeared in the regions of Bavaria and Württemberg, where salt mining and trade were important industries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SALLER can be found in the Rothenburger Taufbuch, a baptismal register from the city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, dating back to 1381. This entry mentions a "Hans Saler," suggesting that the name was already in use by that time.
In the 15th century, the name SALLER was mentioned in the Nürnberger Bürgerbuch, a citizen registry from the city of Nuremberg. This record includes several individuals with the surname, such as "Ulrich Saler" (1421) and "Contz Saler" (1458), indicating that the name had spread to other parts of southern Germany.
During the 16th century, the spelling of the name evolved to its current form, SALLER. This can be seen in the church records of Rothenburg, where entries such as "Anna Sallerin" (1532) and "Hanns Saller" (1576) appear.
One notable figure with the surname SALLER was Hans Saller (1543-1614), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg. His works, including religious paintings and portraits, were highly regarded during his lifetime and are now part of museum collections.
Another prominent individual was Johann Saller (1713-1786), a German composer and organist from Würzburg. He is best known for his sacred choral works, which were widely performed in churches throughout the region.
In the 19th century, the SALLER surname was also found in other parts of Europe, likely due to migration and trade. For example, Johann Saller (1786-1856) was a respected architect from Vienna, Austria, who designed several notable buildings in the city's Biedermeier style.
Other notable individuals with the SALLER surname include Friedrich Saller (1840-1900), a German businessman and philanthropist from Nuremberg, and Ernst Saller (1888-1944), a German writer and poet who was active in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saller
Among Census respondents with the surname Saller, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Saller 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 Saller surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 428
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 11
- Two or more races1.3% · 6
- Black or African American0.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Saller
Saller 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
#57,101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 357
-110 bearers (-23.6%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 13,555 places
2020
#48,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 468
+111 bearers (+31.1%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Up 8,389 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #43,546 | 467 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #57,101 | 357 | 0.12 | -110 bearers (-23.6%) | Down 13,555 places |
| 2020 | #48,712 | 468 | 0.16 | +111 bearers (+31.1%) | Up 8,389 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 Saller 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 | #57,101 | #48,712 | 14.7% |
| Count | 357 | 468 | 31.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.16 | 30.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Saller bearers went from 357 to 468 (+31.1% change). The surname moved up 8,389 positions in the national ranking, going from #57,101 to #48,712.
FAQ
Saller surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Saller?
Name Census estimates that about 537 living Americans carry the surname Saller. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 638,276 residents.
How common is Saller?
Saller ranks #48,712 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 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 468 people with the surname Saller. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (537), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 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 Saller.
Has Saller become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Saller went from 357 recorded bearers to 468. That is an increase of 111 (+31.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #57,101 to #48,712.
What does the Census say about the background of Saller?
Among Census respondents with the surname Saller, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%). 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 Saller in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (428 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Saller appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (4.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%). 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 Saller (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 Saller mean?
Habitational surname originating from a Germanic place name. 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 Saller (0.16 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 Saller?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Saller at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.