2000
#3,351
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,750
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.61
Uncommon Last name
Sanborn
Habitational surname derived from various places in England meaning "sandy stream" or "sand hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,833 Americans carry the last name Sanborn. That puts it at #3,663 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,640 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sanborn 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
11K
1 in 31,640
Census rank
#3,663
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.4K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,447 bearers of the surname Sanborn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3663rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sanborn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sanborn
The surname Sanborn is an English topographic name derived from the Old English words "sand" and "burna," meaning "sandy stream." It originated in areas of England where sandy streams or rivers were found, such as in Norfolk and Suffolk. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "Sandburne" in the Domesday Book of 1086.
The name Sanborn can be traced back to the 12th century when it first appeared in various medieval records and manuscripts. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Roger de Sandburne, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195.
During the medieval period, the name evolved into different spellings like "Sandborne," "Sandburn," and "Sandburne." These variations were often influenced by local dialects and the scribes' interpretations. The modern spelling "Sanborn" became more standardized in the 16th and 17th centuries.
In the early 17th century, several Sanborn families emigrated from England to the American colonies, particularly to Massachusetts and New Hampshire. One of the earliest settlers with this surname was John Sanborn, who arrived in Hampton, New Hampshire, in 1638.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Sanborn. One of the earliest was Richard Sanborn (1625-1718), a prominent merchant and landowner in Hampton, New Hampshire. Another notable figure was Franklin Benjamin Sanborn (1831-1917), an American journalist, author, and abolitionist who was closely associated with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.
Other notable individuals include Katharine Sanborn (1839-1917), an American educator and pioneer in the field of home economics; John Benjamin Sanborn (1826-1904), an American Civil War general; and Walter Sanborn (1838-1891), a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada.
The surname Sanborn has also been associated with various place names, such as Sanborn County in South Dakota and several towns and villages in the United States and Canada, reflecting the geographic origins and migrations of families with this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sanborn
Among Census respondents with the surname Sanborn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Sanborn 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 Sanborn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 8,593
- Two or more races3.9% · 368
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 245
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 143
- Black or African American0.6% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sanborn
Sanborn 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
#3,558
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,025
+275 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 3.40
Rank movement Down 207 places
2020
#3,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,447
-578 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 3.16
Rank movement Down 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,351 | 9,750 | 3.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,558 | 10,025 | 3.40 | +275 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 207 places |
| 2020 | #3,663 | 9,447 | 3.16 | -578 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 105 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 Sanborn 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 | #3,558 | #3,663 | -3.0% |
| Count | 10,025 | 9,447 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.40 | 3.16 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sanborn bearers went from 10,025 to 9,447 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,558 to #3,663.
FAQ
Sanborn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sanborn?
Name Census estimates that about 10,833 living Americans carry the surname Sanborn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,640 residents.
How common is Sanborn?
Sanborn ranks #3,663 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,447 people with the surname Sanborn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,833), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Sanborn.
Has Sanborn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sanborn went from 10,025 recorded bearers to 9,447. That is a decrease of 578 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,558 to #3,663.
What does the Census say about the background of Sanborn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sanborn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Sanborn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (8,593 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sanborn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Sanborn (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 Sanborn mean?
Habitational surname derived from various places in England meaning "sandy stream" or "sand hill." 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 Sanborn (3.16 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 are called Sanborn?
Find out how common the surname Sanborn is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.