2000
#6,321
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,962
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.84
Rare Last name
Sass
An English occupational surname referring to a maker of sauces or condiments.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,300 Americans carry the last name Sass. That puts it at #7,007 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,671 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sass 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sass with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,671
Census rank
#7,007
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,622 bearers of the surname Sass in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7007th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sass, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sass
Among Census respondents with the surname Sass, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sass 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 Sass surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 4,106
- Black or African American3.8% · 177
- Two or more races3.0% · 140
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 128
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sass
Sass 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
#6,909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,856
-106 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.65
Rank movement Down 588 places
2020
#7,007
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,622
-234 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 98 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,321 | 4,962 | 1.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,909 | 4,856 | 1.65 | -106 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 588 places |
| 2020 | #7,007 | 4,622 | 1.55 | -234 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 98 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 Sass 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 | #6,909 | #7,007 | -1.4% |
| Count | 4,856 | 4,622 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.65 | 1.55 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sass bearers went from 4,856 to 4,622 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 98 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,909 to #7,007.
FAQ
Sass surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sass?
Name Census estimates that about 5,300 living Americans carry the surname Sass. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,671 residents.
How common is Sass?
Sass ranks #7,007 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,622 people with the surname Sass. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,300), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Sass.
Has Sass become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sass went from 4,856 recorded bearers to 4,622. That is a decrease of 234 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,909 to #7,007.
What does the Census say about the background of Sass?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sass, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Sass in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (4,106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sass appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Black (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Sass (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 Sass mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker of sauces or condiments. 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 Sass (1.55 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 have the surname Sass?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.