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

Sass, 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 Sass surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sass in America

Sass is the 6909th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sass surname appeared 4,856 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Sass.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sass 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 Sass

The surname Sass has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages around the 12th century. It is believed to derive from the Old High German word "sahhs," which meant "knife" or "sword." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational name for a swordsmith or a warrior.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Sass can be found in various medieval records from different regions of Germany, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae and the Regesta Historiae Westfaliae. These documents mention individuals with the surname Sass or similar spellings like Sass, Sasse, or Sas.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Sass, a merchant from the city of Cologne, who is mentioned in a trade record from 1308. Another notable figure was Konrad Sass, a scholar and theologian born in Heidelberg in 1495, who authored several religious texts and served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg.

In the 16th century, the name Sass appears to have spread to other parts of Europe, as evidenced by records from the Netherlands and Scandinavia. For instance, Hans Sass, a Dutch painter born in 1597, was known for his still-life and landscape paintings.

As the name proliferated, it also became associated with certain place names, such as the town of Sassnitz on the island of Rügen in northern Germany. The name Sassnitz is derived from the Slavic word "sas," meaning "rock" or "cliff," suggesting a connection between the surname Sass and geographical features.

Other notable individuals with the surname Sass include:

1. Johann Sass (1720-1805), a German composer and organist from Nuremberg.
2. Friedrich Sass (1819-1892), a German botanist and plant collector who made significant contributions to the study of flora in the Middle East.
3. Carl Sass (1854-1933), a German-American architect known for his work in the Romanesque Revival style, including the design of the Wausau Club in Wisconsin.
4. Hans Sass (1886-1962), a German artist and printmaker associated with the Expressionist movement.
5. André Sass (1900-1976), a French film director and screenwriter known for his collaborations with René Clair and Jacques Tourneur.

While the surname Sass has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with bearers of the name contributing to diverse fields such as art, science, architecture, and entertainment.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sass

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

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

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

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