2000
#3,821
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,529
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.16
Uncommon Last name
Sauceda
Derived from the Spanish word "sauce," meaning willow tree, indicating someone who lived near willow trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,640 Americans carry the last name Sauceda. That puts it at #3,198 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,117 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sauceda 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
13K
1 in 27,117
Census rank
#3,198
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,023 bearers of the surname Sauceda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3198th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauceda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.3%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Black (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sauceda
The surname Sauceda has its origins in Spain, dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "sauceda," which refers to a willow grove or a place where willow trees grow in abundance. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have lived near or been associated with such a location.
During the medieval period, the name Sauceda appeared in various historical records and documents from the Iberian Peninsula. One notable mention can be found in the "Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla," a 14th-century manuscript that recorded landholdings and properties across Castile.
The earliest recorded individual with the surname Sauceda was Pedro de Sauceda, a nobleman and landowner who lived in the region of Extremadura, Spain, in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Alonso de Sauceda, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the 16th century.
As the Spanish Empire expanded, the surname Sauceda spread to various parts of the Americas, including Mexico and regions of South America. In the 17th century, Juan de Sauceda y Cárdenas, a Spanish military officer and landowner, established himself in the viceroyalty of New Spain (present-day Mexico).
Throughout the centuries, the surname Sauceda has undergone various spelling variations, such as Sauceda, Sauseda, and Sausseda. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.
One notable individual bearing this surname was Mariano Sauceda, a Mexican military officer and revolutionary who fought against the French intervention in Mexico during the 19th century. He played a crucial role in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, which is celebrated annually as Cinco de Mayo.
Another prominent figure was María Sauceda, a Mexican author and educator from the early 20th century. She contributed to the advancement of education and literature, particularly in the state of Coahuila, where she founded several schools and published works on pedagogy and children's literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sauceda
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauceda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.3%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Black (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sauceda 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 Sauceda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.3% · 10,177
- White6.3% · 696
- Black or African American0.5% · 58
- Two or more races0.4% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sauceda
Sauceda 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
#3,255
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,093
+2,564 bearers (+30.1%)
Per 100,000 3.76
Rank movement Up 566 places
2020
#3,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,023
-70 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 3.69
Rank movement Up 57 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,821 | 8,529 | 3.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,255 | 11,093 | 3.76 | +2,564 bearers (+30.1%) | Up 566 places |
| 2020 | #3,198 | 11,023 | 3.69 | -70 bearers (-0.6%) | Up 57 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 Sauceda 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 | #3,255 | #3,198 | 1.8% |
| Count | 11,093 | 11,023 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.76 | 3.69 | -1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sauceda bearers went from 11,093 to 11,023 (-0.6% change). The surname moved up 57 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,255 to #3,198.
FAQ
Sauceda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sauceda?
Name Census estimates that about 12,640 living Americans carry the surname Sauceda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,117 residents.
How common is Sauceda?
Sauceda ranks #3,198 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,023 people with the surname Sauceda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,640), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Sauceda.
Has Sauceda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sauceda went from 11,093 recorded bearers to 11,023. That is a decrease of 70 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,255 to #3,198.
What does the Census say about the background of Sauceda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauceda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.3%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Black (0.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sauceda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (10,177 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sauceda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.3%), White (6.3%), Black (0.5%). 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 Sauceda (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 Sauceda mean?
Derived from the Spanish word "sauce," meaning willow tree, indicating someone who lived near willow trees. 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 Sauceda (3.69 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 Americans have the surname Sauceda?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.