2000
#114,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Saura
A surname derived from the name of an Indian village or town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 282 Americans carry the last name Saura. That puts it at #82,600 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,215,441 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Saura 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
282
1 in 1,215,441
Census rank
#82,600
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
246
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 246 bearers of the surname Saura in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 82600th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Saura, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 41.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (28.5%) and White (25.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Saura
The surname Saura has its origins in Spain, where it emerged during the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the town of Saura, located in the province of Valencia. The name Saura is believed to be of Arabic origin, stemming from the word "saura," which means "small fortress" or "watchtower."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Saura can be traced back to the 13th century. In 1284, a document from the city of Valencia mentioned a certain Pedro de Saura. This suggests that the surname was already well-established in the region by that time.
During the reconquista, when Christian forces reconquered territories from the Moors, the Saura family likely played a role in the defense of the region, as their name implies a connection to military fortifications. This association with defensive structures may have contributed to the surname's prominence in Valencia.
One notable figure bearing the Saura surname was Jaime Saura, a 15th-century Spanish knight and military commander. He served under King Alfonso V of Aragon and was instrumental in the conquest of Naples in 1442.
Another prominent individual with the surname Saura was Pedro Saura, a 16th-century Spanish painter and architect. He was known for his work on the Cathedral of Valencia and other notable buildings in the city.
In the 17th century, Juan Saura, a Spanish playwright and poet, gained recognition for his works that explored themes of love and courtly life. His plays were performed at the royal court of King Philip IV.
The surname Saura also found its way to Latin America during the Spanish colonization period. One notable bearer of the name was Miguel Saura, a 19th-century Mexican military officer and politician who served as the governor of the state of Guerrero.
Throughout its history, the surname Saura has been associated with various place names and localities in Spain, such as Saura de Salinas, a municipality in the province of Cuenca, and Saura de Dalt, a village in the province of Castellón.
While the surname Saura has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. However, its origins can be traced back to the town of Saura in Valencia, where it first emerged as a locational surname with a connection to military fortifications and defensive structures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saura
Among Census respondents with the surname Saura, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 41.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (28.5%) and White (25.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Saura 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 Saura surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander41.1% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino28.5% · 70
- White25.6% · 63
- Black or African American2.4% · 6
- Two or more races1.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Saura
Saura 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
#98,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 183
+41 bearers (+28.9%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 15,184 places
2020
#82,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 246
+63 bearers (+34.4%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 16,382 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,166 | 142 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #98,982 | 183 | 0.06 | +41 bearers (+28.9%) | Up 15,184 places |
| 2020 | #82,600 | 246 | 0.08 | +63 bearers (+34.4%) | Up 16,382 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 Saura 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 | #98,982 | #82,600 | 16.6% |
| Count | 183 | 246 | 34.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.08 | 37.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Saura bearers went from 183 to 246 (+34.4% change). The surname moved up 16,382 positions in the national ranking, going from #98,982 to #82,600.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Saura
FAQ
Saura surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Saura?
Name Census estimates that about 282 living Americans carry the surname Saura. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,215,441 residents.
How common is Saura?
Saura ranks #82,600 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 246 people with the surname Saura. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (282), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Saura.
Has Saura become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Saura went from 183 recorded bearers to 246. That is an increase of 63 (+34.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #98,982 to #82,600.
What does the Census say about the background of Saura?
Among Census respondents with the surname Saura, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 41.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (28.5%) and White (25.6%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Saura in the 2020 Census, accounting for 41.1% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Saura appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (41.1%), Hispanic (28.5%), White (25.6%). 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 Saura (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 Saura mean?
A surname derived from the name of an Indian village or town. 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 Saura (0.08 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 Saura?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.