2000
#646
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,979
First available Census row
Per 100,000 17.79
Uncommon Last name
Sawyer
An occupational surname for one who saws wood, such as a carpenter or woodcutter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 53,815 Americans carry the last name Sawyer. That puts it at #718 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,369 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sawyer 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 Sawyer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
54K
1 in 6,369
Census rank
#718
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
47K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 46,929 bearers of the surname Sawyer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 718th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sawyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sawyer
The surname Sawyer is an occupational name that originated in England. It derives from the Old English word 'sagere' or 'sawere,' which means 'a sawyer' or someone who sawed wood for a living. This occupation was crucial in medieval times when timber was a valuable resource used for construction and fuel.
The earliest known record of the surname Sawyer dates back to the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as 'le Sawiere.' This document was a census-like survey conducted during the reign of King Edward I. The name was also recorded in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379 as 'Sauger.'
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was John Sawyer, who was born around 1450 in Wycliffe, Yorkshire, England. Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Robert Sawyer (1633-1692), an English lawyer and politician who served as Attorney General for England and Wales during the reign of King James II.
The Sawyer surname was also prominent in the American colonies. One of the earliest settlers was Thomas Sawyer, who arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636. His descendants include the famous American author Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835-1910), whose middle name 'Langhorne' was derived from his ancestor, John Sawyer of Lancashire, England.
Another notable Sawyer was Philander Chase Sawyer (1824-1900), an American businessman and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Wisconsin. In the literary world, Charles Sawyer (1887-1979) was an English novelist and short story writer best known for his works set in the West Country of England.
The Sawyer surname has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Sawyers Hill in Gloucestershire and Sawyers Close in Warwickshire. These place names likely originated from individuals with the occupational surname who lived or worked in those areas.
Overall, the surname Sawyer has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval England and the important occupation of sawing timber. It has since spread across the globe, with notable bearers of the name making significant contributions in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sawyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Sawyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sawyer 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 Sawyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.5% · 36,358
- Black or African American13.4% · 6,282
- Two or more races4.4% · 2,078
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,598
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 404
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 209
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sawyer
Sawyer 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
#707
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 49,028
+1,049 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 16.62
Rank movement Down 61 places
2020
#718
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 46,929
-2,099 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 15.70
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #646 | 47,979 | 17.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #707 | 49,028 | 16.62 | +1,049 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 61 places |
| 2020 | #718 | 46,929 | 15.70 | -2,099 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 11 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 Sawyer 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 | #707 | #718 | -1.6% |
| Count | 49,028 | 46,929 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 16.62 | 15.70 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sawyer bearers went from 49,028 to 46,929 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #707 to #718.
FAQ
Sawyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sawyer?
Name Census estimates that about 53,815 living Americans carry the surname Sawyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,369 residents.
How common is Sawyer?
Sawyer ranks #718 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 16 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 46,929 people with the surname Sawyer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (53,815), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 16 of them to have the surname Sawyer.
Has Sawyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sawyer went from 49,028 recorded bearers to 46,929. That is a decrease of 2,099 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #707 to #718.
What does the Census say about the background of Sawyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sawyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Sawyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.5% (36,358 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sawyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.5%), Black (13.4%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Sawyer (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 Sawyer mean?
An occupational surname for one who saws wood, such as a carpenter or woodcutter. 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 Sawyer (15.70 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 Sawyer?
Want to know how many people are called Sawyer? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.