2000
#23,698
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 997
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.37
Rare Last name
Saab
A Swedish surname referring to the Saab automobile brand.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,707 Americans carry the last name Saab. That puts it at #18,380 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 200,793 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Saab 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
1.7K
1 in 200,793
Census rank
#18,380
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,489 bearers of the surname Saab in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18380th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Saab, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Saab
The surname SAAB has its origins in Sweden, emerging in the late 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old Swedish word "saba," which means "marsh" or "wetland." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name likely lived in or near marshy areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SAAB can be found in the parish records of Skåne, a province in southern Sweden, dating back to the late 16th century. The name was initially spelled "Sabb" or "Sab," with the double "aa" spelling becoming more prevalent in the 18th century.
During the 17th century, the SAAB name appeared in various Swedish historical records, including the Swedish Census Book of 1660, where a family by the name of Sabb was documented in the town of Malmö.
The name SAAB gained prominence in the 19th century with the birth of Gustaf Erikson Saab (1819-1896), a Swedish businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Saab arms manufacturing company in 1887. This company later diversified into the production of automobiles, and the SAAB name became synonymous with the iconic Swedish car brand.
Another notable figure with the SAAB surname was Erik Saab (1865-1929), a Swedish painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and illustrations of Swedish folk tales.
In the early 20th century, the SAAB name appeared in various Swedish literary works, such as the novel "Sagan om Sabb" by August Strindberg (1849-1912), which featured a character with the surname SAAB.
Other notable individuals with the SAAB surname include:
1. Sven Olof Saab (1874-1953), a Swedish industrialist and co-founder of the Saab automobile company.
2. Bertil Saab (1916-2005), a Swedish engineer and inventor who worked for the Saab automobile company and developed several innovative automotive technologies.
3. Åke Saab (1928-2013), a Swedish writer and poet known for his works exploring themes of nature and the human condition.
4. Annika Saab (born 1974), a Swedish actress and television presenter.
5. Patrik Saab (born 1977), a Swedish professional ice hockey player who played in the NHL for several teams.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saab
Among Census respondents with the surname Saab, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Saab 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 Saab surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.9% · 1,220
- Hispanic or Latino10.7% · 160
- Two or more races2.7% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 38
- Black or African American1.9% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Saab
Saab 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
#20,183
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,321
+324 bearers (+32.5%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Up 3,515 places
2020
#18,380
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,489
+168 bearers (+12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.50
Rank movement Up 1,803 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,698 | 997 | 0.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,183 | 1,321 | 0.45 | +324 bearers (+32.5%) | Up 3,515 places |
| 2020 | #18,380 | 1,489 | 0.50 | +168 bearers (+12.7%) | Up 1,803 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 Saab 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 | #20,183 | #18,380 | 8.9% |
| Count | 1,321 | 1,489 | 12.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.45 | 0.50 | 10.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Saab bearers went from 1,321 to 1,489 (+12.7% change). The surname moved up 1,803 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,183 to #18,380.
FAQ
Saab surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Saab?
Name Census estimates that about 1,707 living Americans carry the surname Saab. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 200,793 residents.
How common is Saab?
Saab ranks #18,380 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.50 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 1,489 people with the surname Saab. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,707), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.50 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 Saab.
Has Saab become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Saab went from 1,321 recorded bearers to 1,489. That is an increase of 168 (+12.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,183 to #18,380.
What does the Census say about the background of Saab?
Among Census respondents with the surname Saab, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Saab in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.9% (1,220 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Saab appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.9%), Hispanic (10.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Saab (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 Saab mean?
A Swedish surname referring to the Saab automobile brand. 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 Saab (0.50 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 Saab?
See how common the surname Saab is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.