2000
#72,905
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 248
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Sarazen
A surname derived from the Spanish word "sarraceno", meaning Saracen or Muslim.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 304 Americans carry the last name Sarazen. That puts it at #77,921 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,127,481 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sarazen 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
304
1 in 1,127,481
Census rank
#77,921
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
265
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 265 bearers of the surname Sarazen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 77921st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sarazen, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sarazen
The surname Sarazen is of French origin, originating in the medieval period. It is believed to derive from the Old French word "sarrazin," meaning "Saracen," which was a term used to refer to Muslims or people of Arab or North African descent during the Middle Ages.
This surname likely emerged during the time of the Crusades, when there was significant interaction and conflict between European Christians and Muslims in the Middle East. It may have been initially used as a descriptive name for someone who had physical features or cultural characteristics associated with Saracens.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sarazen can be found in the Domesday Book, a historical record commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book includes references to individuals with the name Sarazen or similar spellings, such as Saracen or Sarrazin, indicating that the name was already in use in parts of England during the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, there are records of a prominent French noble named Jean Sarazen, who served as a knight and military leader under King Louis IX of France. Jean Sarazen participated in the Seventh Crusade and is known for his bravery and military exploits during that campaign.
Another notable figure with the surname Sarazen was Pierre Sarazen, a French poet and playwright born in 1548 in Rouen, Normandy. He authored several works, including plays and poems, and was a member of the renowned Pléiade literary movement in Renaissance France.
In the 19th century, a French-American golfer named Gene Sarazen (1902-1999) achieved significant fame and success. Sarazen was born Eugene Sarazen in Harrison, New York, and was one of the most celebrated professional golfers of his time, winning numerous major championships and being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Other notable individuals with the surname Sarazen include Jacques Sarazen (1580-1660), a French Baroque painter known for his religious works and portraits, and Émile Sarazen (1885-1955), a French architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings and public spaces in Paris and other French cities.
While the surname Sarazen has its origins in medieval France, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and various European countries, due to migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sarazen
Among Census respondents with the surname Sarazen, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Sarazen 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 Sarazen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 229
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 15
- Two or more races4.2% · 11
- Black or African American2.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sarazen
Sarazen 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
#72,771
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 267
+19 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 134 places
2020
#77,921
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 265
-2 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 5,150 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #72,905 | 248 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #72,771 | 267 | 0.09 | +19 bearers (+7.7%) | Up 134 places |
| 2020 | #77,921 | 265 | 0.09 | -2 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 5,150 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 Sarazen 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 | #72,771 | #77,921 | -7.1% |
| Count | 267 | 265 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.09 | -1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sarazen bearers went from 267 to 265 (-0.7% change). The surname moved down 5,150 positions in the national ranking, going from #72,771 to #77,921.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sarazen
FAQ
Sarazen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sarazen?
Name Census estimates that about 304 living Americans carry the surname Sarazen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,127,481 residents.
How common is Sarazen?
Sarazen ranks #77,921 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 265 people with the surname Sarazen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (304), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Sarazen.
Has Sarazen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sarazen went from 267 recorded bearers to 265. That is a decrease of 2 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #72,771 to #77,921.
What does the Census say about the background of Sarazen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sarazen, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Sarazen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (229 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sarazen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Sarazen (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 Sarazen mean?
A surname derived from the Spanish word "sarraceno", meaning Saracen or Muslim. 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 Sarazen (0.09 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 share the surname Sarazen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.