2000
#8,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,600
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.33
Rare Last name
Sather
A Norse-derived surname referring to a person who sows or plants seeds.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,102 Americans carry the last name Sather. That puts it at #8,798 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,558 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sather 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
4.1K
1 in 83,558
Census rank
#8,798
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,577 bearers of the surname Sather in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8798th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sather, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sather
The surname Sather originated in Norway, with roots tracing back to the early medieval period. It is believed to derive from the Old Norse name Sathir, which itself may have evolved from the root word "sath," meaning "truth" or "reality." This name likely referred to someone with a reputation for honesty or someone who adhered to traditional values.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sather can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian documents dating back to the 12th century. In this collection, the name appears in various spellings, such as Sathir, Sathyr, and Sathær, reflecting the evolution of the name over time.
The Sather name is also linked to several place names in Norway, particularly in the regions of Østlandet and Vestlandet. For instance, the farm Sather in Nordfjord, located in the county of Møre og Romsdal, is believed to have been named after an early bearer of the surname.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the Sather surname. One of the earliest was Orm Sather, a Norwegian chieftain and landowner who lived in the late 12th century and is mentioned in the Icelandic sagas. In the 17th century, Hans Sather (1610-1687) was a prominent Norwegian clergyman and author.
Another notable figure was Søren Sather (1825-1913), a Norwegian-American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the California gold rush. He later donated a significant sum to the University of California, Berkeley, leading to the establishment of the Sather Professorship and the Sather Gate, a prominent landmark on the university campus.
In the literary world, Johan Sather (1856-1924) was a Norwegian poet and novelist who wrote extensively about rural life in Norway. His works, such as "Bygde-Romaner" (Village Novels), provided a vivid portrayal of the struggles and experiences of ordinary Norwegians during his time.
Furthermore, the Sather name has been carried by several military figures, including Nils Sather (1888-1967), a Norwegian-American who served as a major general in the United States Army during World War II and received the Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery in combat.
While the Sather surname may have evolved over time and spread across different regions, its roots can be traced back to the early medieval period in Norway, where it likely originated as a name associated with honesty, truth, and adherence to traditional values.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sather
Among Census respondents with the surname Sather, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sather 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 Sather surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 3,278
- Two or more races4.0% · 142
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 21
- Black or African American0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sather
Sather 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
#8,581
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,838
+238 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 149 places
2020
#8,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,577
-261 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 217 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,432 | 3,600 | 1.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,581 | 3,838 | 1.30 | +238 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 149 places |
| 2020 | #8,798 | 3,577 | 1.20 | -261 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 217 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 Sather 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 | #8,581 | #8,798 | -2.5% |
| Count | 3,838 | 3,577 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.30 | 1.20 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sather bearers went from 3,838 to 3,577 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 217 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,581 to #8,798.
FAQ
Sather surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sather?
Name Census estimates that about 4,102 living Americans carry the surname Sather. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,558 residents.
How common is Sather?
Sather ranks #8,798 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 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 3,577 people with the surname Sather. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,102), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 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 Sather.
Has Sather become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sather went from 3,838 recorded bearers to 3,577. That is a decrease of 261 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,581 to #8,798.
What does the Census say about the background of Sather?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sather, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Sather in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (3,278 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sather appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Sather (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 Sather mean?
A Norse-derived surname referring to a person who sows or plants seeds. 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 Sather (1.20 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 last name Sather?
You can see how many people have the surname Sather on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.