2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Saure
A German surname potentially derived from the word "sauer" meaning sour, acidic or tart.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Saure. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Saure 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Saure in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Saure, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 33.6%. The next largest groups are White (32.8%) and Two or More Races (19.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Saure
The surname Saure is of German origin, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the German word "sauer," which means "sour" or "acid." It is possible that the name was initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who had a sour disposition or perhaps worked with sour substances, such as in wine-making or brewing.
The earliest known bearer of the name Saure was Hans Saure, a vintner from the town of Mainz in the Rhineland region of Germany, who was mentioned in records from the year 1521. Another early record comes from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a certain Konrad Saure was listed as a resident in 1548.
In the 17th century, the name Saure appeared in various parts of Germany, including the regions of Bavaria, Saxony, and Hesse. One notable bearer from this period was Johann Saure, a Lutheran theologian and author from Saxony, who lived from 1628 to 1699.
As the name spread across German-speaking regions, it also took on various spellings, such as Sauer, Sauers, and Sauere. Some of these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or the preference of individual families.
In the 18th century, the Saure surname was found in the records of several German cities, including Hamburg and Leipzig. One notable figure from this time was Johann Friedrich Saure, a renowned organ builder from Dresden, who lived from 1708 to 1780 and crafted instruments for churches and noble households throughout Europe.
The 19th century saw the migration of many German families, including those with the surname Saure, to other parts of the world, particularly the United States and Canada. One prominent individual with this name was Carl Saure, a German-American artist and illustrator who was born in 1841 and is known for his works depicting scenes of the American West.
Other notable bearers of the Saure surname include Karl Saure, a German politician and member of the Reichstag in the late 19th century, and Erich Saure, a German writer and journalist who lived from 1889 to 1965 and was known for his works on cultural and historical topics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saure
Among Census respondents with the surname Saure, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 33.6%. The next largest groups are White (32.8%) and Two or More Races (19.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Saure 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 Saure surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander33.6% · 40
- White32.8% · 39
- Two or more races19.3% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino12.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Saure
Saure 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+18 bearers (+16.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,925 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-7 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,925 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+16.7%) | Up 7,925 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 8,925 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 Saure 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 | #133,863 | #142,788 | -6.7% |
| Count | 126 | 119 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Saure bearers went from 126 to 119 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 8,925 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #142,788.
FAQ
Saure surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Saure?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Saure. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Saure?
Saure ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Saure. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Saure.
Has Saure become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Saure went from 126 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Saure?
Among Census respondents with the surname Saure, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 33.6%. The next largest groups are White (32.8%) and Two or More Races (19.3%). 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 Saure in the 2020 Census, accounting for 33.6% (40 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Saure appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (33.6%), White (32.8%), Two or More Races (19.3%). 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 Saure (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 Saure mean?
A German surname potentially derived from the word "sauer" meaning sour, acidic or tart. 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 Saure (0.04 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 surname Saure?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.