2000
#56,826
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 336
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Rare Last name
Sargsyan
An Armenian surname derived from the given name Sargis, meaning "commander".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,026 Americans carry the last name Sargsyan. That puts it at #15,873 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 169,178 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sargsyan 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
2.0K
1 in 169,178
Census rank
#15,873
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,767 bearers of the surname Sargsyan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15873rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sargsyan, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sargsyan
The surname Sargsyan is of Armenian origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Armenian root name Sargis, which is a variant of the Greek name Sergius. The name Sergius itself is believed to have originated from the ancient Roman family name Sergius, which was derived from the Latin word "serica," meaning "keeper of the swine."
Sargsyan is a patronymic surname, meaning that it was formed by adding the Armenian suffix "-yan" to the given name Sargis. This naming convention was common in Armenia and other parts of the region, where surnames were often created by combining a person's given name with a suffix indicating their familial relationship.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Sargsyan surname can be found in Armenian manuscripts and records from the 13th and 14th centuries. These documents mention individuals with the surname Sargsyan, indicating that the name was already in use during this period.
During the Middle Ages, the Sargsyan family was particularly prominent in the region of Vaspurakan, which was located in what is now western Armenia and eastern Turkey. Some historical records suggest that members of the Sargsyan family held influential positions within the Armenian Church and played a role in the political and cultural life of the region.
Notable individuals with the Sargsyan surname throughout history include:
1. Grigor Sargsyan (c. 1200-1280), an Armenian historian and scholar who wrote extensively about the history and culture of medieval Armenia.
2. Avetis Sargsyan (1568-1624), an Armenian poet and religious figure known for his contributions to Armenian literature and theology.
3. Hovhannes Sargsyan (1776-1848), an Armenian writer and educator who played a significant role in the development of modern Armenian literature and education.
4. Arshak Sargsyan (1835-1892), an Armenian revolutionary and political activist who fought for the independence of Armenia from the Ottoman Empire.
5. Sargis Sargsyan (1914-1989), an Armenian painter and artist renowned for his landscapes and portraits depicting Armenian life and culture.
While the Sargsyan surname has its roots in medieval Armenia, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, the name retains its strong connection to its Armenian heritage and continues to be a prominent surname within the Armenian community.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sargsyan
Among Census respondents with the surname Sargsyan, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Sargsyan 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 Sargsyan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.5% · 1,740
- Two or more races0.9% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino0.2% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 4
- Black or African American0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sargsyan
Sargsyan 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
#22,906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,117
+781 bearers (+232.4%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Up 33,920 places
2020
#15,873
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,767
+650 bearers (+58.2%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 7,033 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #56,826 | 336 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,906 | 1,117 | 0.38 | +781 bearers (+232.4%) | Up 33,920 places |
| 2020 | #15,873 | 1,767 | 0.59 | +650 bearers (+58.2%) | Up 7,033 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 Sargsyan 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 | #22,906 | #15,873 | 30.7% |
| Count | 1,117 | 1,767 | 58.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.38 | 0.59 | 55.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sargsyan bearers went from 1,117 to 1,767 (+58.2% change). The surname moved up 7,033 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,906 to #15,873.
FAQ
Sargsyan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sargsyan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,026 living Americans carry the surname Sargsyan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 169,178 residents.
How common is Sargsyan?
Sargsyan ranks #15,873 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,767 people with the surname Sargsyan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,026), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sargsyan.
Has Sargsyan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sargsyan went from 1,117 recorded bearers to 1,767. That is an increase of 650 (+58.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #22,906 to #15,873.
What does the Census say about the background of Sargsyan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sargsyan, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.2%). 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 Sargsyan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.5% (1,740 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sargsyan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.5%), Two or More Races (0.9%), Hispanic (0.2%). 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 Sargsyan (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 Sargsyan mean?
An Armenian surname derived from the given name Sargis, meaning "commander". 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 Sargsyan (0.59 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 Sargsyan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.