2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Sayeg
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "goldsmith" or "jeweler".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Sayeg. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sayeg 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Sayeg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sayeg, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sayeg
The surname SAYEG is of Arabic origin and is believed to have first originated in the Middle East, specifically in areas such as Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine. It is thought to be derived from the Arabic word "sayyag," which means "jeweler" or "goldsmith," indicating that the name may have been given to someone who worked in that trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname SAYEG can be found in historical documents from the 16th century in the region of Mount Lebanon. During this time, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Sayegh, Sayigh, and Saiigh, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and transliteration.
In the 17th century, the SAYEG family is mentioned in several Ottoman Empire records, particularly in relation to their involvement in the silk trade and other commercial activities in the Levant region. This suggests that the family had established itself as a prominent merchant class during that period.
As the SAYEG family spread across the Middle East and beyond, the name became associated with various notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was Ibrahim Sayeg (1834-1912), a Lebanese poet and writer who made significant contributions to Arabic literature during the Nahda movement.
Another notable bearer of the SAYEG surname was Fadlou Sayegh (1877-1957), a Lebanese politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Lebanon in the 1940s. He played a crucial role in Lebanon's struggle for independence from French colonial rule.
In the realm of academia, Dr. Nizar Sayegh (1932-2018) was a renowned professor of engineering at the American University of Beirut. He made significant contributions to the field of civil engineering and was widely respected for his research and teaching.
The SAYEG name can also be found in various historical records from other parts of the Middle East, such as Egypt and Iraq. For example, the Egyptian writer and journalist Youssef El-Sayegh (1935-1995) was a prominent figure in the Arab literary scene during the latter half of the 20th century.
As the SAYEG family migrated and settled in different parts of the world, the name took on variations in spelling and pronunciation, reflecting the diverse linguistic influences of the regions they inhabited. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in its Arabic heritage and association with the jewelry and goldsmith trades.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sayeg
Among Census respondents with the surname Sayeg, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sayeg 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 Sayeg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino8.8% · 10
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sayeg
Sayeg appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+11 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,739 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 10,739 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 Sayeg 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 | #157,234 | #146,495 | 6.8% |
| Count | 103 | 114 | 10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sayeg bearers went from 103 to 114 (+10.7% change). The surname moved up 10,739 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #146,495.
FAQ
Sayeg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sayeg?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Sayeg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Sayeg?
Sayeg ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Sayeg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Sayeg.
Has Sayeg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sayeg went from 103 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 11 (+10.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Sayeg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sayeg, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Sayeg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sayeg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Hispanic (8.8%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Sayeg (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 Sayeg mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "goldsmith" or "jeweler". 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 Sayeg (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 last name Sayeg?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Sayeg on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.