Find out how popular the last name Sauer is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sauer.

Sauer, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sauer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sauer in America

Sauer is the 2364th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sauer surname appeared 15,430 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Sauer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sauer to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Sauer

The surname SAUER has its origins in Germany and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "sur," meaning sour or bitter, and was likely initially used as a nickname for someone with a sharp or sour disposition.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Anhalt region of Germany, dating back to the 13th century. The name Sauer appears several times in these records, indicating its presence in the area during that time period.

The name SAUER also has connections to various place names throughout Germany, such as Sauerlach in Bavaria and Sauerland in North Rhine-Westphalia. These place names may have influenced the spread and adoption of the surname in those regions.

Notable individuals with the surname SAUER include the German astronomer Johann Sauer (1545-1611), who made significant contributions to the study of comets and the development of astronomical instruments. Another prominent figure was the German artist and printmaker Georg Sauer (1617-1667), known for his intricate etchings and engravings.

In the 18th century, Johann Sauer (1695-1768) was a renowned printer and publisher in Germantown, Pennsylvania, famous for printing the first German-language Bible in America in 1743. This publication played a vital role in preserving the German language and culture among early German settlers in North America.

Continuing into the 19th century, Christoph Sauer (1795-1865) was a German-American journalist and publisher who founded several influential German-language newspapers in the United States, including the Baltimore Wecker and the Philadelphia Demokrat.

Another notable figure was the German-American author and philosopher Carl Sauer (1889-1975), who made significant contributions to the field of cultural geography and is considered one of the founders of the Berkeley School of Geography.

Throughout its history, the surname SAUER has been carried by individuals from various professions and backgrounds, spanning the fields of science, arts, publishing, and academia, among others.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sauer

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sauer.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sauer was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sauer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sauer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sauer, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!