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

Sanders, 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 Sanders surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sanders in America

Sanders is the 94th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sanders surname appeared 230,374 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 78 people would have the surname Sanders.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sanders 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 Sanders

The surname Sanders is of English origin, derived from the old English word "sander" which referred to a messenger or courier. It first appeared in records during the 13th century in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1221, where a William le Saundresman is mentioned. The variant spelling "Saundres" also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, referring to a Ralph Saundres.

The name is believed to have originated as an occupational surname, given to individuals who worked as messengers or delivered important documents and letters. Some historians also suggest a connection to the old French word "saunier", meaning a salt worker or dealer.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are no direct references to the surname Sanders, but there are entries for places like Sandridge in Hertfordshire and Sanderson in Yorkshire, which may have influenced the development of the surname in those areas.

Notable individuals with the surname Sanders throughout history include:

1. Richard Sanders (c. 1510-1585), an English Protestant reformer and theologian.
2. Robert Sanders (c. 1573-1618), an English mathematician and surveyor who worked on the first modern atlas.
3. William Sanders (1774-1839), an American politician who served as Governor of Kentucky from 1840 to 1844.
4. Wilbur Fisk Sanders (1834-1905), an American Baptist minister and educator, founder of the University of Rochester.
5. George Nicolas Sanders (1912-1972), a renowned British actor known for his roles in films such as "All About Eve" and "Village of the Damned".

In terms of place names, there are several locations in England that may have contributed to the surname, such as Sandridge in Hertfordshire, Sanderson in Yorkshire, and Sanderstead in Surrey. These places likely had connections to early bearers of the Sanders name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sanders

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

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

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

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