2000
#30,516
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 722
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.27
Very Rare Last name
Sauerwein
A German surname meaning "sour wine" or potentially relating to a wine maker or seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 824 Americans carry the last name Sauerwein. That puts it at #34,023 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 415,964 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sauerwein 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
824
1 in 415,964
Census rank
#34,023
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
719
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 719 bearers of the surname Sauerwein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34023rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauerwein, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sauerwein
The surname Sauerwein originated in Germany, likely in the 16th or 17th century. It is derived from the German words "sauer" meaning "sour" and "wein" meaning "wine". The name likely referred to a person who made or sold sour wines, which were a popular beverage in Germany during that time period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sauerwein can be found in the baptismal records of the town of Trier, in what is now the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. In 1612, a child named Johannes Sauerwein was baptized in the local church.
As the name spread throughout Germany, various spellings emerged, including Sauerwine, Sauerwin, and Saurwein. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.
In the late 18th century, a notable figure with the surname Sauerwein was Johann Friedrich Sauerwein (1748-1822), a German theologian and author who served as a Protestant pastor in the town of Worms.
Another individual of note was Carl Friedrich Sauerwein (1803-1872), a German painter and engraver who was born in the city of Nuremberg. He is best known for his landscapes and cityscapes depicting scenes from his native Bavaria.
In the 19th century, the Sauerwein name appeared in various records and documents across Germany, including church registries, census records, and land deeds. One example is the birth record of Johann Sauerwein, born in 1835 in the village of Böttigheim, in what is now the state of Baden-Württemberg.
Leaving Germany, the name Sauerwein also found its way to other parts of Europe and the Americas through emigration. For instance, in the mid-19th century, a family with the surname Sauerwein settled in the town of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, where they established a successful farming operation.
Another notable individual was Joseph Sauerwein (1887-1959), an American artist and illustrator who was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is best known for his illustrations in books and magazines during the early 20th century.
These are just a few examples of the rich history and diverse geographical spread of the surname Sauerwein, which can be traced back to its origins in Germany centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sauerwein
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauerwein, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sauerwein 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 Sauerwein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 672
- Two or more races3.8% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sauerwein
Sauerwein 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
#30,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 755
+33 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Down 309 places
2020
#34,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 719
-36 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 3,198 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,516 | 722 | 0.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,825 | 755 | 0.26 | +33 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 309 places |
| 2020 | #34,023 | 719 | 0.24 | -36 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 3,198 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 Sauerwein 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 | #30,825 | #34,023 | -10.4% |
| Count | 755 | 719 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.26 | 0.24 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sauerwein bearers went from 755 to 719 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 3,198 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,825 to #34,023.
FAQ
Sauerwein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sauerwein?
Name Census estimates that about 824 living Americans carry the surname Sauerwein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 415,964 residents.
How common is Sauerwein?
Sauerwein ranks #34,023 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 719 people with the surname Sauerwein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (824), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Sauerwein.
Has Sauerwein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sauerwein went from 755 recorded bearers to 719. That is a decrease of 36 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #30,825 to #34,023.
What does the Census say about the background of Sauerwein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauerwein, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Sauerwein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (672 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sauerwein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Sauerwein (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 Sauerwein mean?
A German surname meaning "sour wine" or potentially relating to a wine maker or seller. 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 Sauerwein (0.24 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 Sauerwein?
Want to know how common the surname Sauerwein is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.