2000
#112,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 144
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Saporta
A surname originating from Italian, referring to someone from the town of La Porta.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 147 Americans carry the last name Saporta. That puts it at #136,082 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,331,662 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Saporta 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
147
1 in 2,331,662
Census rank
#136,082
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
128
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 128 bearers of the surname Saporta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 136082nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Saporta, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (35.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Saporta
The surname Saporta has its roots in the Catalan region of Spain and France, dating back to the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "saporatus," meaning "with flavor" or "seasoned." This could indicate that the original bearers of this name may have been involved in the culinary arts or trade of spices and seasonings.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Saporta surname can be found in the Catalan region of Spain, where a document from the 14th century mentions a certain Pere Saporta, a merchant from the city of Barcelona. This suggests that the name had already established itself in the region by that time.
In the 15th century, the Saporta family gained prominence in the city of Perpignan, which was then part of the Kingdom of Aragon. Several members of the family held influential positions in the local government and were involved in the region's thriving wine trade.
The name appears in various historical records throughout the centuries, including the Llibre del Repartiment, a 13th-century document chronicling the distribution of lands and properties in the Kingdom of Valencia after the Reconquista. This document mentions a certain Bernat Saporta, who was granted lands in the region for his services to the Crown.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the Saporta name was Isaac Saporta (1630-1697), a Spanish-born Jewish philosopher and theologian who lived and worked in Amsterdam. He was a prominent figure in the Sephardic Jewish community and wrote several influential works on Jewish philosophy and theology.
Another significant figure with the Saporta surname was José Saporta y Capdevila (1855-1927), a Spanish lawyer and politician who served as the Mayor of Barcelona from 1917 to 1919. He was instrumental in the city's urban development and modernization efforts during his tenure.
The Saporta name can also be found in various parts of France, particularly in the southern regions bordering Spain. One notable French bearer of the name was Edmond Saporta (1851-1924), a successful businessman and art collector from Marseille.
While the Saporta surname has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, its origins can be traced back to the rich cultural and historical heritage of the Catalan region, where it was first established as a prominent family name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saporta
Among Census respondents with the surname Saporta, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (35.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Saporta 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 Saporta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.1% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino35.9% · 46
Timeline
Historical Census data for Saporta
Saporta 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
#126,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
-9 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 13,798 places
2020
#136,082
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
-7 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,317 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112,967 | 144 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,765 | 135 | 0.05 | -9 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 13,798 places |
| 2020 | #136,082 | 128 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 9,317 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 Saporta 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 | #126,765 | #136,082 | -7.3% |
| Count | 135 | 128 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -14.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Saporta bearers went from 135 to 128 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 9,317 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,765 to #136,082.
FAQ
Saporta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Saporta?
Name Census estimates that about 147 living Americans carry the surname Saporta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,331,662 residents.
How common is Saporta?
Saporta ranks #136,082 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 128 people with the surname Saporta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (147), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Saporta.
Has Saporta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Saporta went from 135 recorded bearers to 128. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,765 to #136,082.
What does the Census say about the background of Saporta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Saporta, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (35.9%). 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 Saporta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.1% (82 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Saporta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.1%), Hispanic (35.9%). 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 Saporta (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 Saporta mean?
A surname originating from Italian, referring to someone from the town of La Porta. 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 Saporta (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Saporta?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.