2000
#21,335
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,144
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.42
Rare Last name
Sagan
An occupational surname denoting a sawmill or lumber worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,318 Americans carry the last name Sagan. That puts it at #22,886 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 260,056 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sagan 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sagan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.3K
1 in 260,056
Census rank
#22,886
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,149 bearers of the surname Sagan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 22886th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sagan
The surname SAGAN is believed to have originated in Poland, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old Polish word "sagan," which means "soot-covered" or "blackened by smoke." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who worked in a profession that involved exposure to soot or smoke, such as a blacksmith or chimney sweep.
The earliest recorded instance of the SAGAN surname can be found in the Teki Dworzaczka, a collection of Polish court records from the 14th century. One entry mentions a man named "Stanislaw Sagan" who was involved in a legal dispute over land ownership.
In the 15th century, the surname SAGAN appears in the records of the town of Krakow, which was a major center of trade and commerce in medieval Poland. One notable bearer of the name was Jan Sagan, a merchant who lived in Krakow in the late 1400s and was known for his successful business dealings.
The SAGAN surname also has connections to several place names in Poland, such as the village of Sagany in the Silesian region. It is possible that the name originated as a designation for someone who lived near or came from this area.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname SAGAN. One of the most famous was Carl Sagan (1934-1996), an American astronomer, cosmologist, and science communicator who popularized the study of the cosmos through his writings and television appearances. His book "Cosmos" and the accompanying TV series of the same name were hugely influential in sparking public interest in space exploration and scientific inquiry.
Another significant figure was Françoise Sagan (1935-2004), a French novelist and playwright who achieved literary stardom at a young age with her debut novel "Bonjour Tristesse" in 1954. Her works often explored themes of disillusionment and moral ambiguity in modern society.
In the field of mathematics, Mark Sagan (1945-1995) was an American mathematician and computer scientist best known for his contributions to the study of combinatorics and graph theory. His research helped establish connections between these areas and other branches of mathematics.
Historically, the SAGAN surname has also been associated with notable individuals in the military and political spheres. For example, Stanislaw Sagan (1711-1781) was a Polish general and statesman who served as a member of the Permanent Council, a governing body in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Overall, the surname SAGAN has a rich and diverse history, with roots stretching back to medieval Poland and connections to various professions, locations, and notable figures across different fields and eras.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sagan
Among Census respondents with the surname Sagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Sagan 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 Sagan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 1,075
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 37
- Two or more races1.6% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 12
- Black or African American0.6% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sagan
Sagan 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
#21,790
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,193
+49 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.40
Rank movement Down 455 places
2020
#22,886
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,149
-44 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Down 1,096 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,335 | 1,144 | 0.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,790 | 1,193 | 0.40 | +49 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 455 places |
| 2020 | #22,886 | 1,149 | 0.38 | -44 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 1,096 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 Sagan 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 | #21,790 | #22,886 | -5.0% |
| Count | 1,193 | 1,149 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.40 | 0.38 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sagan bearers went from 1,193 to 1,149 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 1,096 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,790 to #22,886.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sagan
FAQ
Sagan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sagan?
Name Census estimates that about 1,318 living Americans carry the surname Sagan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 260,056 residents.
How common is Sagan?
Sagan ranks #22,886 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.38 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 1,149 people with the surname Sagan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,318), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.38 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 Sagan.
Has Sagan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sagan went from 1,193 recorded bearers to 1,149. That is a decrease of 44 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #21,790 to #22,886.
What does the Census say about the background of Sagan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Sagan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (1,075 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sagan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Sagan (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 Sagan mean?
An occupational surname denoting a sawmill or lumber worker. 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 Sagan (0.38 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 surname Sagan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.