2000
#11,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,514
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Satterlee
Derived from a place name meaning "settler's clearing" or "dweller by the leas" (meadows) in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,658 Americans carry the last name Satterlee. That puts it at #12,715 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,952 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Satterlee 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
2.7K
1 in 128,952
Census rank
#12,715
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,318 bearers of the surname Satterlee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12715th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Satterlee, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Satterlee
The surname Satterlee is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "sæter" meaning a herdsman, and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing. It is likely that the name originated as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near a meadow or clearing frequented by herdsmen.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century, with variations in spelling such as Saterlee, Saterleigh, and Saterleye appearing in medieval records. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John de Saterleye, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1272.
In the 14th century, the name Satterlee appeared in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which were records of landowners in various counties of England. The Satterlee family is believed to have originated in the counties of Essex and Suffolk, where the name was most prevalent in its early years.
By the 16th century, the spelling of the name had evolved to its modern form of Satterlee. Notable individuals bearing this surname included Richard Satterlee, who was born in Essex in 1542 and served as a member of the English Parliament.
In the 17th century, the Satterlee family expanded its reach beyond England, with some members emigrating to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded Satterlees in America was John Satterlee, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1635 and later settled in New Haven, Connecticut.
During the American Revolutionary War, Captain John Satterlee (1740-1826) served in the Connecticut Militia and fought in several battles, including the Battle of Bunker Hill. His son, Reverend James Satterlee (1770-1831), was a prominent Presbyterian minister in New York.
Another notable figure in the 19th century was Lemuel Satterlee (1824-1891), an American lawyer and politician who served as the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut from 1881 to 1883.
In more recent times, Henry Satterlee (1852-1908) was an American Episcopal bishop who served as the Bishop of Washington from 1896 until his death. He was instrumental in the construction of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
While the Satterlee surname has its roots in England, it has spread across the globe, with bearers of the name contributing to various fields throughout history, from politics and religion to law and military service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Satterlee
Among Census respondents with the surname Satterlee, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Satterlee 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 Satterlee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 2,112
- Two or more races3.7% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 25
- Black or African American0.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Satterlee
Satterlee 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
#12,242
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,541
+27 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 753 places
2020
#12,715
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,318
-223 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 473 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,489 | 2,514 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,242 | 2,541 | 0.86 | +27 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 753 places |
| 2020 | #12,715 | 2,318 | 0.78 | -223 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 473 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 Satterlee 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 | #12,242 | #12,715 | -3.9% |
| Count | 2,541 | 2,318 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.78 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Satterlee bearers went from 2,541 to 2,318 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 473 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,242 to #12,715.
FAQ
Satterlee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Satterlee?
Name Census estimates that about 2,658 living Americans carry the surname Satterlee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,952 residents.
How common is Satterlee?
Satterlee ranks #12,715 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,318 people with the surname Satterlee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,658), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Satterlee.
Has Satterlee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Satterlee went from 2,541 recorded bearers to 2,318. That is a decrease of 223 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,242 to #12,715.
What does the Census say about the background of Satterlee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Satterlee, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Satterlee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (2,112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Satterlee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Satterlee (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 Satterlee mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "settler's clearing" or "dweller by the leas" (meadows) in Old English. 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 Satterlee (0.78 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 Satterlee?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Satterlee is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.