2000
#6,839
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,531
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.68
Rare Last name
Sauter
An occupational surname referring to a person who makes or sells salt.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,937 Americans carry the last name Sauter. That puts it at #7,467 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,426 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sauter 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
4.9K
1 in 69,426
Census rank
#7,467
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,305 bearers of the surname Sauter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7467th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauter, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sauter
The surname Sauter originates from Germany and France, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the German word "saut", meaning a swineherd or someone who tended pigs. It is also believed to have roots in the Latin word "saltator", meaning a dancer or leaper.
The earliest known record of the name Sauter can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the former Duchy of Saxony, which mentions a person named "Counradus Sautere" in a document dated 1144.
In France, the name Sauter is thought to have originated from the Old French word "sauteor", which also meant a dancer or leaper. It is believed that the name may have been given to individuals who were known for their agility or dancing skills.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in France is found in the Trésor des Chartes, a collection of royal charters and documents, which mentions a "Johannes Sauteour" in 1292.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Sauter. One of the earliest was Hans Sauter (c. 1490-1560), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg, known for his intricate woodcuts and engravings.
Another notable bearer of the name was Johann Sauter (1766-1837), a German architect and builder who is credited with designing several prominent buildings in Munich, including the Alte Pinakothek art museum.
In the 19th century, a Swiss watchmaker named Adrien Philippe Sauter (1805-1886) gained recognition for his contributions to the development of the Swiss watchmaking industry, particularly in the design of watch movements.
The name also has a connection to the world of literature, with the German poet and novelist Hermann Sauter (1842-1906) being one of the notable figures from this era.
In more recent times, the Swiss composer and conductor Ernest Sauter (1926-2002) gained international recognition for his compositions and for conducting various orchestras around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sauter
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauter, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sauter 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 Sauter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 3,989
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 142
- Two or more races2.5% · 109
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 38
- Black or African American0.3% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sauter
Sauter 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
#6,562
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,163
+632 bearers (+13.9%)
Per 100,000 1.75
Rank movement Up 277 places
2020
#7,467
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,305
-858 bearers (-16.6%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Down 905 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,839 | 4,531 | 1.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,562 | 5,163 | 1.75 | +632 bearers (+13.9%) | Up 277 places |
| 2020 | #7,467 | 4,305 | 1.44 | -858 bearers (-16.6%) | Down 905 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 Sauter 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 | #6,562 | #7,467 | -13.8% |
| Count | 5,163 | 4,305 | -16.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.75 | 1.44 | -17.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sauter bearers went from 5,163 to 4,305 (-16.6% change). The surname moved down 905 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,562 to #7,467.
FAQ
Sauter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sauter?
Name Census estimates that about 4,937 living Americans carry the surname Sauter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,426 residents.
How common is Sauter?
Sauter ranks #7,467 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,305 people with the surname Sauter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,937), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sauter.
Has Sauter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sauter went from 5,163 recorded bearers to 4,305. That is a decrease of 858 (-16.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,562 to #7,467.
What does the Census say about the background of Sauter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauter, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Sauter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (3,989 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sauter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Sauter (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 Sauter mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who makes or sells salt. 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 Sauter (1.44 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 Sauter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.