2000
#4,584
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,092
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.63
Rare Last name
Saxon
An English surname derived from the Germanic tribe of Saxons, meaning "a Saxon" or "descending from Saxons."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,691 Americans carry the last name Saxon. That puts it at #5,068 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,566 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Saxon 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 Saxon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.7K
1 in 44,566
Census rank
#5,068
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,707 bearers of the surname Saxon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5068th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Saxon, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Saxon
The surname Saxon has its origins in England, dating back to the 5th and 6th centuries when the Saxons, a Germanic tribe, invaded and settled in various parts of the country. The name is derived from the Old English word "Seaxe," which referred to this group of people.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land and landholders commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Saxun" and "Saxone," reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling during that time.
The surname was particularly prevalent in areas where Saxon settlements were established, such as Sussex, Essex, Middlesex, and parts of Wessex. Some notable individuals bearing the surname include John Saxon (c. 1235-1300), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Essex, and William Saxon (c. 1420-1491), a prominent clergyman who served as the Bishop of Dunkeld in Scotland.
During the Middle Ages, the surname was sometimes associated with specific locations, giving rise to variations like Saxonbury and Saxondale. One noteworthy example is Sir John de Saxondale (c. 1320-1390), a English knight and landowner from Saxondale, a village in Nottinghamshire.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname continued to be found across England, with individuals such as Thomas Saxon (c. 1550-1612), a successful merchant and alderman in London, and Elizabeth Saxon (c. 1630-1690), a Puritan writer and poet from Essex.
Another notable figure was Miles Saxon (1662-1719), a renowned English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
As the centuries progressed, the surname spread to other parts of the world through migration and exploration, with individuals like John Saxon (1785-1848), an English-born merchant and businessman who established a successful trading company in Calcutta, India.
While the surname has maintained its presence throughout history, its origins can be traced back to the Saxon settlers who played a pivotal role in shaping the cultural and linguistic landscape of England during the early medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saxon
Among Census respondents with the surname Saxon, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Saxon 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 Saxon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.3% · 5,118
- Black or African American14.5% · 975
- Two or more races4.1% · 274
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 211
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 62
Timeline
Historical Census data for Saxon
Saxon 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
#4,685
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,576
+484 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 2.57
Rank movement Down 101 places
2020
#5,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,707
-869 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 2.24
Rank movement Down 383 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,584 | 7,092 | 2.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,685 | 7,576 | 2.57 | +484 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 101 places |
| 2020 | #5,068 | 6,707 | 2.24 | -869 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 383 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 Saxon 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 | #4,685 | #5,068 | -8.2% |
| Count | 7,576 | 6,707 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.57 | 2.24 | -12.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Saxon bearers went from 7,576 to 6,707 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 383 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,685 to #5,068.
FAQ
Saxon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Saxon?
Name Census estimates that about 7,691 living Americans carry the surname Saxon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,566 residents.
How common is Saxon?
Saxon ranks #5,068 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,707 people with the surname Saxon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,691), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Saxon.
Has Saxon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Saxon went from 7,576 recorded bearers to 6,707. That is a decrease of 869 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,685 to #5,068.
What does the Census say about the background of Saxon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Saxon, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Saxon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.3% (5,118 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Saxon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.3%), Black (14.5%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Saxon (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 Saxon mean?
An English surname derived from the Germanic tribe of Saxons, meaning "a Saxon" or "descending from Saxons." 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 Saxon (2.24 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 Saxon?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Saxon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.