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

Sapien, 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 Sapien surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sapien in America

Sapien is the 15236th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sapien surname appeared 1,931 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Sapien.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sapien 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 Sapien

The surname "SAPIEN" is of Latin origin, derived from the word "sapiens," which means "wise" or "discerning." This name is believed to have originated in ancient Rome during the time of the Roman Empire.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 1st century AD, where it was used to identify individuals who were considered wise or learned. The name was often associated with scholars, philosophers, and intellectuals of that era.

In medieval times, the surname "SAPIEN" was primarily found in regions of Italy, particularly in the cities of Rome and Florence. These areas were centers of learning and intellectual pursuits, making it a fitting name for those involved in academic or scholarly pursuits.

Historical records show that the name appeared in various manuscripts and documents from the 12th to the 15th centuries. One notable example is the Florentine Codex, a 16th-century ethnographic work that mentions individuals with the surname "SAPIEN" among the scholarly community of Florence.

Among the earliest known individuals bearing this surname was Marcus Sapien, a Roman philosopher and scholar who lived in the 2nd century AD. Another notable figure was Lucia Sapien, a renowned Italian poet and writer from the 14th century.

During the Renaissance period, the surname "SAPIEN" gained further prominence. Lucrezia Sapien (1480-1555) was an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts, known for her patronage of artists and intellectuals in Florence.

In the 17th century, Giovanni Sapien (1625-1692) was a celebrated Italian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the fields of calculus and celestial mechanics.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Emilia Sapien (1788-1860), an Italian educator and advocate for women's rights. She established several schools for girls in Rome and wrote extensively on the importance of education for women.

As the surname spread across Europe, it also found its way into other regions. In the 19th century, the name was recorded in Spain, where notable figures such as Alejandro Sapien (1845-1912), a Spanish philosopher and author, carried the surname.

While the surname "SAPIEN" is not as common today as it once was, it remains a testament to the rich intellectual and scholarly heritage of those who bore this name throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sapien

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sapien, 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!