2000
#4,685
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,916
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.56
Rare Last name
Saul
Derived from the Hebrew name Sha'ul, meaning "asked for" or "prayed for."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,847 Americans carry the last name Saul. That puts it at #4,974 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,680 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Saul 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 Saul with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.8K
1 in 43,680
Census rank
#4,974
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,843 bearers of the surname Saul in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4974th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Saul, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Hispanic (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Saul
The surname Saul has its origins in ancient Hebrew, derived from the Biblical name Shaul, meaning "asked for" or "prayed for." This name traces its roots back to the Old Testament and the first king of Israel, Saul, who reigned around 1020 BCE.
The name Saul is believed to have spread throughout Europe during the Middle Ages, particularly in regions with significant Jewish populations. It is likely that the surname emerged as a way to distinguish individuals within these communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Saul can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, such as Saul, Sauel, and Savel, indicating its presence in medieval England.
In France, the surname Saul can be traced back to the 13th century, with records showing individuals bearing the name in regions like Normandy and Brittany. During this time, the name may have been influenced by the Old French word "saoul," meaning "satisfied" or "content."
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Saul. One such figure is Rabbi Benjamin Saul (1615-1703), a prominent Jewish scholar and author from Poland, who wrote extensively on Talmudic law and Jewish ethics.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Hans Saul (1542-1602), a German composer and organist during the Renaissance period, known for his contributions to sacred music and organ repertoire.
In England, Sir Edward Saul (1590-1670) was a notable figure, serving as the Lord Mayor of London in 1635. He played a pivotal role in the City of London's response to the English Civil War.
The surname Saul has also been associated with notable literary figures, such as the American novelist John Ralston Saul (born 1947), who is known for his works exploring philosophy, economics, and political theory.
Additionally, Saul Bellow (1915-2005), a Canadian-American writer, is widely regarded as one of the most influential novelists of the 20th century, having won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1976 for his profound exploration of modern urban life.
While the surname Saul has its origins in ancient Hebrew and has been present throughout various regions of Europe since medieval times, it has spread globally and continues to be borne by individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saul
Among Census respondents with the surname Saul, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Hispanic (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Saul 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 Saul surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.0% · 5,267
- Black or African American10.0% · 686
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 375
- Two or more races3.2% · 218
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 191
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 106
Timeline
Historical Census data for Saul
Saul 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
#4,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,047
+131 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 2.39
Rank movement Down 296 places
2020
#4,974
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,843
-204 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 2.29
Rank movement Up 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,685 | 6,916 | 2.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,981 | 7,047 | 2.39 | +131 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 296 places |
| 2020 | #4,974 | 6,843 | 2.29 | -204 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 7 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 Saul 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 | #4,981 | #4,974 | 0.1% |
| Count | 7,047 | 6,843 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.39 | 2.29 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Saul bearers went from 7,047 to 6,843 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,981 to #4,974.
FAQ
Saul surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Saul?
Name Census estimates that about 7,847 living Americans carry the surname Saul. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,680 residents.
How common is Saul?
Saul ranks #4,974 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,843 people with the surname Saul. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,847), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Saul.
Has Saul become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Saul went from 7,047 recorded bearers to 6,843. That is a decrease of 204 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,981 to #4,974.
What does the Census say about the background of Saul?
Among Census respondents with the surname Saul, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Hispanic (5.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Saul in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.0% (5,267 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Saul appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.0%), Black (10.0%), Hispanic (5.5%). 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 Saul (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 Saul mean?
Derived from the Hebrew name Sha'ul, meaning "asked for" or "prayed for." 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 Saul (2.29 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 are called Saul?
If you just want to know how common the surname Saul is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.