2000
#18,188
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,411
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.52
Rare Last name
Sayegh
A surname of Arabic origin meaning traveling merchant or trader.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,060 Americans carry the last name Sayegh. That puts it at #15,658 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,386 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sayegh 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
2.1K
1 in 166,386
Census rank
#15,658
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,796 bearers of the surname Sayegh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15658th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sayegh, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sayegh
The surname "SAYEGH" has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the Levant region (modern-day Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Jordan). It is an Arabic name derived from the root word "saygh," which means "goldsmith" or "jeweler" in Arabic.
This surname can be traced back to the 12th century when it was used to identify individuals who worked as goldsmiths or jewelers in the region. The earliest known record of the name is found in a manuscript from the Crusades era, where a certain Sayegh al-Halabi is mentioned as a skilled goldsmith from the city of Aleppo.
During the Ottoman Empire's rule over the Levant, the Sayegh family was prominent in several cities, including Damascus, Beirut, and Jerusalem. One notable figure was Ibrahim Sayegh (1679-1744), a renowned calligrapher and scribe who worked in the court of the Ottoman governor of Damascus.
As the Levant region became more integrated into the global economy during the 19th century, many Sayeghs emigrated to other parts of the world, particularly to the Americas and Europe. One of the earliest recorded Sayeghs in the United States was Yousef Sayegh (1845-1920), who settled in New York City and worked as a jeweler.
Another notable figure was Khalil Sayegh (1870-1952), a Lebanese writer and journalist who played a significant role in the Arab literary renaissance of the early 20th century. He was born in the village of Shemlan, Lebanon, and later lived in Egypt and the United States.
In more recent history, Camille Sayegh (1905-1993) was a prominent Lebanese lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Lebanese Parliament and as the country's Minister of Justice.
It is worth noting that the Sayegh surname is not limited to the Middle East, as many individuals with this name can be found in various parts of the world due to emigration and diaspora. However, its origins and historical significance can be traced back to the region of the Levant and the profession of goldsmiths and jewelers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sayegh
Among Census respondents with the surname Sayegh, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sayegh 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 Sayegh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 1,612
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 107
- Two or more races2.9% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 16
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sayegh
Sayegh 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
#16,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,674
+263 bearers (+18.6%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Up 1,213 places
2020
#15,658
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,796
+122 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 1,317 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,188 | 1,411 | 0.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,975 | 1,674 | 0.57 | +263 bearers (+18.6%) | Up 1,213 places |
| 2020 | #15,658 | 1,796 | 0.60 | +122 bearers (+7.3%) | Up 1,317 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 Sayegh 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 | #16,975 | #15,658 | 7.8% |
| Count | 1,674 | 1,796 | 7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.57 | 0.60 | 5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sayegh bearers went from 1,674 to 1,796 (+7.3% change). The surname moved up 1,317 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,975 to #15,658.
FAQ
Sayegh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sayegh?
Name Census estimates that about 2,060 living Americans carry the surname Sayegh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,386 residents.
How common is Sayegh?
Sayegh ranks #15,658 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,796 people with the surname Sayegh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,060), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Sayegh.
Has Sayegh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sayegh went from 1,674 recorded bearers to 1,796. That is an increase of 122 (+7.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,975 to #15,658.
What does the Census say about the background of Sayegh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sayegh, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Sayegh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (1,612 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sayegh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Hispanic (6.0%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Sayegh (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 Sayegh mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning traveling merchant or trader. 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 Sayegh (0.60 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 are called Sayegh?
See how many people are called Sayegh on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.