2000
#2,151
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,474
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.74
Uncommon Last name
Sauer
An occupational surname of German origin referring to someone who made or sold fermented foods, such as pickles or sauerkraut.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,391 Americans carry the last name Sauer. That puts it at #2,465 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,911 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sauer 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 Sauer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 20,911
Census rank
#2,465
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,294 bearers of the surname Sauer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2465th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Anhalt region of Germany, dating back to the 13th century.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sauer
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sauer 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 Sauer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 13,209
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 456
- Two or more races2.9% · 420
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 128
- Black or African American0.3% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sauer
Sauer 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
#2,364
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,430
-44 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 5.23
Rank movement Down 213 places
2020
#2,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,294
-1,136 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 4.78
Rank movement Down 101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,151 | 15,474 | 5.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,364 | 15,430 | 5.23 | -44 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 213 places |
| 2020 | #2,465 | 14,294 | 4.78 | -1,136 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 101 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 Sauer 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 | #2,364 | #2,465 | -4.3% |
| Count | 15,430 | 14,294 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 5.23 | 4.78 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sauer bearers went from 15,430 to 14,294 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 101 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,364 to #2,465.
FAQ
Sauer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sauer?
Name Census estimates that about 16,391 living Americans carry the surname Sauer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,911 residents.
How common is Sauer?
Sauer ranks #2,465 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,294 people with the surname Sauer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,391), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Sauer.
Has Sauer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sauer went from 15,430 recorded bearers to 14,294. That is a decrease of 1,136 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,364 to #2,465.
What does the Census say about the background of Sauer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Sauer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (13,209 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sauer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Sauer (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 Sauer mean?
An occupational surname of German origin referring to someone who made or sold fermented foods, such as pickles or sauerkraut. 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 Sauer (4.78 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 share the surname Sauer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.