2000
#11,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,391
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Satchell
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of satchels, bags, or purses.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,804 Americans carry the last name Satchell. That puts it at #12,164 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,238 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Satchell 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 Satchell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 122,238
Census rank
#12,164
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,445 bearers of the surname Satchell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12164th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Satchell, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.7%. The next largest groups are White (27.1%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Satchell
The surname Satchell is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a variant of the Old English word "saccel," which referred to a small bag or sack. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who made or sold small bags or pouches.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Satchell can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1191, where a person named Walter Sachel is mentioned. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various records from different parts of England, such as the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire and the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire. These records often spell the name as "Sacchel" or "Sachel," further illustrating the variations in spelling that were common during that period.
The Satchell surname can also be traced back to certain place names in England. For example, the village of Satchell in Buckinghamshire may have contributed to the development of the name. Similarly, the hamlet of Satchell in Leicestershire could have been another source.
One notable bearer of the Satchell name was Thomas Satchell (c. 1540-1615), an English playwright and poet who wrote several plays and masques for the court of Queen Elizabeth I. His works, though not widely known today, were celebrated during his lifetime.
Another individual with this surname was William Satchell (1592-1668), a prominent English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Wilts and was known for his sermons and religious writings.
In the 18th century, John Satchell (1738-1809) was a notable English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Middlesex Hospital.
Moving into the 19th century, Horace Satchell (1819-1892) was a British artist and illustrator who was particularly known for his landscape paintings and illustrations of rural life.
Finally, one of the more recent historical figures with the Satchell surname was Oswald Satchell (1880-1945), a British Army officer who served in World War I and was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery during the Battle of the Somme.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Satchell
Among Census respondents with the surname Satchell, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.7%. The next largest groups are White (27.1%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Satchell 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 Satchell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American61.7% · 1,509
- White27.1% · 662
- Two or more races5.3% · 130
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 114
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Satchell
Satchell 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
#12,017
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,598
+207 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 31 places
2020
#12,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,445
-153 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 147 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,986 | 2,391 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,017 | 2,598 | 0.88 | +207 bearers (+8.7%) | Down 31 places |
| 2020 | #12,164 | 2,445 | 0.82 | -153 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 147 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 Satchell 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 | #12,017 | #12,164 | -1.2% |
| Count | 2,598 | 2,445 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.82 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Satchell bearers went from 2,598 to 2,445 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 147 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,017 to #12,164.
FAQ
Satchell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Satchell?
Name Census estimates that about 2,804 living Americans carry the surname Satchell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,238 residents.
How common is Satchell?
Satchell ranks #12,164 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,445 people with the surname Satchell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,804), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Satchell.
Has Satchell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Satchell went from 2,598 recorded bearers to 2,445. That is a decrease of 153 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,017 to #12,164.
What does the Census say about the background of Satchell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Satchell, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.7%. The next largest groups are White (27.1%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Satchell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.7% (1,509 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Satchell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (61.7%), White (27.1%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Satchell (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 Satchell mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of satchels, bags, or purses. 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 Satchell (0.82 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 Satchell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.