2000
#439
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 67,210
First available Census row
Per 100,000 24.91
Uncommon Last name
Saunders
An English occupational surname referring to a sand merchant or someone who lived on sandy soil.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 77,234 Americans carry the last name Saunders. That puts it at #487 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 22.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,438 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Saunders 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 Saunders with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
77K
1 in 4,438
Census rank
#487
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
22.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
67K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 67,352 bearers of the surname Saunders in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 22.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 487th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Saunders, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.1%. The next largest groups are Black (24.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Saunders
The surname SAUNDERS is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French name "Saunder" or "Saundre," which itself came from the Latin name "Alexander." The name was originally a nickname for someone with a ruddy or swarthy complexion, as the Latin name "Alexander" was sometimes associated with a darker skin tone.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname SAUNDERS appears in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1199, where a man named Robert Saunders is mentioned. The name also appears in various other medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which lists a William Saundres.
The SAUNDERS surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire, and Buckinghamshire during the Middle Ages. It is believed that the name may have originated in these areas, as they had strong connections to French culture and language due to the Norman conquest of England in 1066.
As the name spread throughout England, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Saunders, Sanders, and Saunderis. Some of these variations were influenced by local dialects and pronunciations, while others were simply the result of inconsistent record-keeping practices.
One notable historical figure with the surname SAUNDERS was Sir Edmund Saunders (c. 1590-1683), an English lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of England from 1676 to 1683. He played a significant role in the legal and political affairs of his time and was renowned for his expertise in common law.
Another prominent individual was Nicholas Saunders (c. 1530-1581), an English Catholic priest and one of the leading figures of the Catholic Reformation in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He was a vocal opponent of the Protestant Reformation and was eventually executed for his religious beliefs.
In the realm of literature, the name SAUNDERS is associated with the English writer and poet Sir Charles Saunders (1713-1775), who is best known for his satirical works and his translations of classical literature.
One of the earliest known instances of the SAUNDERS surname in America is John Saunders, who was born in England in 1589 and settled in Massachusetts Bay Colony in the early 17th century. He was one of the founders of the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Another notable American figure was Prince Saunders (1775-1839), a sailor and explorer who is credited with being the first African American to document his travels to the Arctic regions. His memoir, "A Narrative of the Travels and Adventures of Monsieur Violet," published in 1813, provided valuable insights into the lives of early African American explorers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saunders
Among Census respondents with the surname Saunders, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.1%. The next largest groups are Black (24.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Saunders 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 Saunders surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.1% · 43,851
- Black or African American24.9% · 16,744
- Two or more races4.8% · 3,244
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 2,538
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 516
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 459
Timeline
Historical Census data for Saunders
Saunders 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
#476
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 69,943
+2,733 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 23.71
Rank movement Down 37 places
2020
#487
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 67,352
-2,591 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 22.53
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #439 | 67,210 | 24.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #476 | 69,943 | 23.71 | +2,733 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 37 places |
| 2020 | #487 | 67,352 | 22.53 | -2,591 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 11 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 Saunders 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 | #476 | #487 | -2.3% |
| Count | 69,943 | 67,352 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 23.71 | 22.53 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Saunders bearers went from 69,943 to 67,352 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #476 to #487.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Saunders
FAQ
Saunders surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Saunders?
Name Census estimates that about 77,234 living Americans carry the surname Saunders. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,438 residents.
How common is Saunders?
Saunders ranks #487 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 22.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 23 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 67,352 people with the surname Saunders. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (77,234), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 22.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 22.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 23 of them to have the surname Saunders.
Has Saunders become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Saunders went from 69,943 recorded bearers to 67,352. That is a decrease of 2,591 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #476 to #487.
What does the Census say about the background of Saunders?
Among Census respondents with the surname Saunders, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.1%. The next largest groups are Black (24.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Saunders in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.1% (43,851 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Saunders appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.1%), Black (24.9%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Saunders (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 Saunders mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a sand merchant or someone who lived on sandy soil. 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 Saunders (22.53 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 Saunders?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Saunders on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.