2000
#30,516
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 722
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.27
Very Rare Last name
Sabato
An Italian surname derived from the Latin "Sabbatum," meaning "Saturday."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 836 Americans carry the last name Sabato. That puts it at #33,611 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 409,993 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sabato 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
836
1 in 409,993
Census rank
#33,611
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
729
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 729 bearers of the surname Sabato in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 33611th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sabato, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sabato
The surname Sabato is of Italian origin, originating from the region of Campania in southern Italy. It is derived from the Latin word "sabbatum," meaning "Saturday." The name likely emerged as an occupational surname, referring to individuals who worked on Saturdays or were associated with Saturday activities.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Sabato can be traced back to the 13th century in documents from the city of Naples. One notable mention is found in the "Codice Diplomatico del Regno di Napoli," a collection of historical records from the Kingdom of Naples, where a certain Tommaso Sabato is mentioned in a document dated 1287.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various records from the nearby towns of Avellino and Benevento. For example, a man named Giovanni Sabato is recorded as a landowner in Avellino in 1342. This suggests that the name was well-established in the region by that time.
As the name spread throughout Italy, it underwent various spelling variations, including Sabbato, Sabati, and Sabbati. These variations were likely influenced by local dialects and scribal practices.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Francesco Sabato, a prominent lawyer and legal scholar from Naples who lived in the 15th century (c. 1420-1490). His writings on civil law and judicial procedures were highly influential in his time.
Another notable figure was Girolamo Sabato (1534-1602), a Neapolitan painter and architect who contributed to the design and decoration of several churches and palaces in Naples during the Renaissance period.
In the 18th century, the name gained recognition with the birth of Gennaro Sabato (1718-1796), a renowned composer and violinist from Naples. He was a prominent figure in the Neapolitan School of composers and contributed to the development of the classical concerto form.
Moving into the 19th century, Giuseppe Sabato (1829-1892) was a respected Italian mathematician and educator. He made significant contributions to the fields of algebra and geometry and served as a professor at the University of Naples.
Lastly, in the 20th century, the name Sabato was carried by the Italian-American author and social critic, Jeremiah Sabato (1922-2003). He was known for his novels and essays exploring themes of urban life, Italian-American identity, and social justice.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sabato
Among Census respondents with the surname Sabato, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Sabato 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 Sabato surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 641
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 38
- Two or more races3.6% · 26
- Black or African American2.6% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sabato
Sabato 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
#32,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 711
-11 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 1,849 places
2020
#33,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 729
+18 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 1,246 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,516 | 722 | 0.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,365 | 711 | 0.24 | -11 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 1,849 places |
| 2020 | #33,611 | 729 | 0.24 | +18 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 1,246 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 Sabato 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 | #32,365 | #33,611 | -3.8% |
| Count | 711 | 729 | 2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.24 | 1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sabato bearers went from 711 to 729 (+2.5% change). The surname moved down 1,246 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,365 to #33,611.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sabato
FAQ
Sabato surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sabato?
Name Census estimates that about 836 living Americans carry the surname Sabato. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 409,993 residents.
How common is Sabato?
Sabato ranks #33,611 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 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 729 people with the surname Sabato. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (836), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 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 Sabato.
Has Sabato become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sabato went from 711 recorded bearers to 729. That is an increase of 18 (+2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,365 to #33,611.
What does the Census say about the background of Sabato?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sabato, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Sabato in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (641 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sabato appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Hispanic (5.2%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Sabato (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 Sabato mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Latin "Sabbatum," meaning "Saturday." 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 Sabato (0.24 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 many Americans have the surname Sabato?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.