2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Saxberg
A habitational name derived from a place name meaning "rocky hill".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Saxberg. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Saxberg 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Saxberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Saxberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Saxberg
The surname Saxberg has its origins in the Nordic countries, particularly Sweden and Norway, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name, derived from the Old Norse words "sax" meaning "rock" or "cliff," and "berg" meaning "mountain" or "hill." The name likely referred to someone who lived near or on a rocky hill or cliff.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Swedish Census Rolls of the 16th century, where it appeared as "Saxbergh." The variation in spelling was common during this time, as standardized spellings had not yet been established. In Norway, the name appeared in the Parish Registers of the 17th century, spelled as "Saxberg."
The name Saxberg is closely associated with the Swedish province of Dalarna, known for its rugged mountainous terrain and mining industry. It is believed that some of the earliest bearers of the name may have been miners or worked in occupations related to the mining industry in this region.
In the 19th century, a notable figure with the surname Saxberg was Carl Saxberg (1822-1896), a Swedish industrialist and inventor. He is credited with developing several innovations in the mining and metallurgy industries, contributing significantly to Sweden's industrial revolution.
Another prominent individual was Nils Saxberg (1876-1958), a Norwegian explorer and adventurer. He is renowned for his expeditions to the Arctic regions, including his participation in the famed Fram expedition led by Fridtjof Nansen in the late 19th century.
In the literary world, Karin Saxberg (1909-1998) was a Swedish author and poet, known for her lyrical works celebrating the beauty of nature and the Swedish countryside. Her poetry collections, such as "Sånger från Saxberg" (Songs from Saxberg), were widely acclaimed.
Moving into the 20th century, Erik Saxberg (1920-2002) was a Norwegian architect who made significant contributions to the modernist movement in Scandinavian architecture. His designs, including the iconic Oslo City Hall, have left a lasting impact on the urban landscape of Norway.
Lastly, Ingrid Saxberg (1941-2018) was a Swedish actress and television personality, famous for her roles in several popular television series and films in the 1970s and 1980s. Her talent and charismatic presence on screen made her a household name in Sweden during her career.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saxberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Saxberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Saxberg 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 Saxberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 107
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Saxberg
Saxberg 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+14 bearers (+13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,751 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,600 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.3%) | Up 4,751 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 5,600 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 Saxberg 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 | #140,157 | #145,757 | -4.0% |
| Count | 119 | 115 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Saxberg bearers went from 119 to 115 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 5,600 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #145,757.
FAQ
Saxberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Saxberg?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Saxberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Saxberg?
Saxberg ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Saxberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Saxberg.
Has Saxberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Saxberg went from 119 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Saxberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Saxberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Saxberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Saxberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Saxberg (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 Saxberg mean?
A habitational name derived from a place name meaning "rocky hill". 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 Saxberg (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 Americans have the surname Saxberg?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.