2000
#66,476
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 278
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Saabedra
A surname originating from Spain with an unclear origin and meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 280 Americans carry the last name Saabedra. That puts it at #83,139 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,224,123 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Saabedra 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
280
1 in 1,224,123
Census rank
#83,139
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
244
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 244 bearers of the surname Saabedra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 83139th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Saabedra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Saabedra
The surname SAABEDRA has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the region of Castile, derived from the Spanish word "sabedora," meaning "a wise or knowledgeable woman." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone known for their wisdom or erudition.
In early records, the name appears with various spellings, such as Saavedra, Sabedra, and Saabedra. One of the earliest documented instances of the name is found in the 13th-century manuscript "Cantigas de Santa Maria," a collection of poems and songs dedicated to the Virgin Mary, commissioned by King Alfonso X of Castile.
The name gained prominence in the 15th century with the birth of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616), widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and the author of the renowned novel "Don Quixote." His legacy solidified the reputation of the Saavedra surname as a symbol of literary excellence.
Another notable figure bearing the name was Juan de Saavedra Valderrama (1591-1667), a Spanish diplomat and political theorist. His work "Idea de un príncipe político-cristiano" (The Idea of a Christian-Political Prince) was widely influential in its time and contributed to the development of political philosophy.
In the realm of exploration, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca (c. 1490-1559), a Spanish explorer and author, is remembered for his chronicles of the ill-fated Narváez expedition to Florida and his subsequent eight-year journey across the American Southwest. His surname, Cabeza de Vaca, translates to "head of a cow," highlighting the significance of animal names in Spanish surnames.
The Saabedra name also has ties to the military, with Miguel Saavedra y Ramírez de Baquedano (1756-1824), a Spanish general who fought in the Peninsular War against the French invasion. His bravery and leadership during this conflict earned him the title of "Duke of Rivas."
While the name's prominence in Spain is well-documented, it has also spread to other parts of the world, particularly to Latin American countries, due to Spanish colonization and migration. The variations in spelling, such as Sabedra and Saabedra, reflect the influence of local dialects and pronunciation patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saabedra
Among Census respondents with the surname Saabedra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Saabedra 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 Saabedra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino96.7% · 236
- White2.0% · 5
- Two or more races0.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Saabedra
Saabedra 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
#56,588
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 361
+83 bearers (+29.9%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 9,888 places
2020
#83,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 244
-117 bearers (-32.4%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 26,551 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #66,476 | 278 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #56,588 | 361 | 0.12 | +83 bearers (+29.9%) | Up 9,888 places |
| 2020 | #83,139 | 244 | 0.08 | -117 bearers (-32.4%) | Down 26,551 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 Saabedra 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 | #56,588 | #83,139 | -46.9% |
| Count | 361 | 244 | -32.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.08 | -32.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Saabedra bearers went from 361 to 244 (-32.4% change). The surname moved down 26,551 positions in the national ranking, going from #56,588 to #83,139.
FAQ
Saabedra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Saabedra?
Name Census estimates that about 280 living Americans carry the surname Saabedra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,224,123 residents.
How common is Saabedra?
Saabedra ranks #83,139 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 244 people with the surname Saabedra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (280), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Saabedra.
Has Saabedra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Saabedra went from 361 recorded bearers to 244. That is a decrease of 117 (-32.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #56,588 to #83,139.
What does the Census say about the background of Saabedra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Saabedra, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Saabedra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (236 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Saabedra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (96.7%), White (2.0%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Saabedra (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 Saabedra mean?
A surname originating from Spain with an unclear origin and meaning. 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 Saabedra (0.08 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 Saabedra?
If you just want to know how many people are called Saabedra, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.