2000
#5,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,227
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.31
Rare Last name
Sauls
Derived from the Germanic element "sol," meaning "sun," likely referring to someone with a sunny disposition or bright appearance.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,098 Americans carry the last name Sauls. That puts it at #5,441 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sauls 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
7.1K
1 in 48,289
Census rank
#5,441
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,190 bearers of the surname Sauls in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5441st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauls, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sauls
The surname "SAULS" is believed to have originated in England, where it first appeared in historical records during the late 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "sealt," which means "salt" or "salty," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a salt marsh or worked in the salt trade.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1195, which mention a person named Richard Saulz. The spelling variations during this early period included "Saulz," "Saulse," and "Saulce," reflecting the common practice of phonetic spelling in those times.
The Sauls surname is also found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it is recorded as "Salse." This document lists individuals by their place of residence, suggesting that the name may have been associated with a specific location, possibly a salt-producing area or a place name derived from the word "salt."
In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Pleas of the Crown for the County of Norfolk, where a certain John Saulse is mentioned in connection with a legal case from 1346. This record provides evidence of the surname's continued use and its geographical spread across different regions of England.
Notable individuals bearing the Sauls surname throughout history include:
1. John Sauls (c. 1545-1615), an English composer and organist during the Renaissance period, known for his contributions to sacred music.
2. Edward Sauls (1665-1738), a British naval officer who served during the War of the Spanish Succession and achieved the rank of Admiral.
3. Mary Sauls (1734-1803), an English writer and poet, best known for her collection of poems titled "The Enchanted Grove."
4. Sir William Sauls (1791-1867), a British politician and Member of Parliament for the borough of Wigan from 1835 to 1847.
5. Robert Sauls (1855-1924), an American businessman and philanthropist, who founded the Sauls Textile Company and was a prominent figure in the industrial development of North Carolina.
While the exact origins of the Sauls surname may be subject to debate, these historical references and examples demonstrate its long-standing presence in various parts of England, as well as its eventual spread to other regions through migration and the establishment of new branches of the family over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sauls
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauls, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Sauls 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 Sauls surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.7% · 4,377
- Black or African American21.5% · 1,329
- Two or more races4.1% · 253
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 192
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sauls
Sauls 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
#5,364
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,490
+263 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 2.20
Rank movement Down 198 places
2020
#5,441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,190
-300 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 2.07
Rank movement Down 77 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,166 | 6,227 | 2.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,364 | 6,490 | 2.20 | +263 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 198 places |
| 2020 | #5,441 | 6,190 | 2.07 | -300 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 77 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 Sauls 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 | #5,364 | #5,441 | -1.4% |
| Count | 6,490 | 6,190 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.20 | 2.07 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sauls bearers went from 6,490 to 6,190 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 77 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,364 to #5,441.
FAQ
Sauls surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sauls?
Name Census estimates that about 7,098 living Americans carry the surname Sauls. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,289 residents.
How common is Sauls?
Sauls ranks #5,441 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.07 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 6,190 people with the surname Sauls. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,098), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.07 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 Sauls.
Has Sauls become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sauls went from 6,490 recorded bearers to 6,190. That is a decrease of 300 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,364 to #5,441.
What does the Census say about the background of Sauls?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauls, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Sauls in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.7% (4,377 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sauls appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.7%), Black (21.5%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Sauls (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 Sauls mean?
Derived from the Germanic element "sol," meaning "sun," likely referring to someone with a sunny disposition or bright appearance. 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 Sauls (2.07 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 Americans have the surname Sauls?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.