2000
#11,423
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,531
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Sauers
A German occupational surname referring to someone who was a tanner or leather worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,769 Americans carry the last name Sauers. That puts it at #12,296 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,783 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sauers 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
2.8K
1 in 123,783
Census rank
#12,296
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,415 bearers of the surname Sauers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12296th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauers, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sauers
The surname "SAUERS" is of German origin, with roots dating back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated from the German word "sauer," which means "sour" or "acidic." This term was likely used to describe someone who had a sour disposition or a vinegar maker.
The earliest recorded instances of the name "SAUERS" can be found in various medieval German records and manuscripts. One notable mention is in the Heidelberg Codex, a 14th-century legal document from the region of Heidelberg, where the name appears as "Sauers."
During the 16th century, the name "SAUERS" was also associated with certain place names in Germany, such as Sauersheim and Sauerbach. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname "SAUERS" was Johann Sauers, a prominent vinegar merchant from the city of Nuremberg, who lived from 1525 to 1598. His business dealings and reputation helped establish the name in the region.
Another notable figure was Hans Sauers (1570-1642), a German lawyer and legal scholar who authored several influential works on civil and canon law during the early 17th century.
In the 18th century, the name "SAUERS" gained prominence with the birth of Friedrich Sauers (1741-1817), a German philosopher and educator known for his contributions to the field of pedagogy.
Moving into the 19th century, Wilhelm Sauers (1823-1892) was a renowned German architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Neue Burg in Vienna, Austria.
Additionally, the name "SAUERS" has been associated with several notable figures in the world of arts and literature. For instance, Otto Sauers (1880-1962) was a German playwright and screenwriter who wrote several successful plays and screenplays during the early 20th century.
These examples illustrate the rich history and diverse backgrounds associated with the surname "SAUERS," which has its roots firmly planted in the German culture and language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sauers
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauers, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Sauers 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 Sauers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 2,193
- Two or more races3.9% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 77
- Black or African American0.9% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sauers
Sauers 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
#11,380
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,771
+240 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Up 43 places
2020
#12,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,415
-356 bearers (-12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 916 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,423 | 2,531 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,380 | 2,771 | 0.94 | +240 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 43 places |
| 2020 | #12,296 | 2,415 | 0.81 | -356 bearers (-12.8%) | Down 916 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 Sauers 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 | #11,380 | #12,296 | -8.0% |
| Count | 2,771 | 2,415 | -12.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.81 | -14.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sauers bearers went from 2,771 to 2,415 (-12.8% change). The surname moved down 916 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,380 to #12,296.
FAQ
Sauers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sauers?
Name Census estimates that about 2,769 living Americans carry the surname Sauers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,783 residents.
How common is Sauers?
Sauers ranks #12,296 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 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 2,415 people with the surname Sauers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,769), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 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 Sauers.
Has Sauers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sauers went from 2,771 recorded bearers to 2,415. That is a decrease of 356 (-12.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,380 to #12,296.
What does the Census say about the background of Sauers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauers, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Sauers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (2,193 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sauers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Sauers (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 Sauers mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who was a tanner or leather worker. 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 Sauers (0.81 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 common is the surname Sauers?
See how many people have the surname Sauers on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.