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

Sanborn, 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 Sanborn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sanborn in America

Sanborn is the 3558th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sanborn surname appeared 10,025 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Sanborn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sanborn 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 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sanborn

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

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 Sanborn 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 Sanborn 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 Sanborn was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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