How common is the surname Sanders?

230,374 people in the United States had the surname Sanders in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,340 Americans. It ranked 94th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Sanders?

Harland Sanders, American entrepreneur (1890-1980) who founded KFC, followed by George Sanders.

Where is the surname Sanders most common?

Wikidata records people named Sanders in the United States, Belgium and the United Kingdom and 1 other country.

How do you pronounce Sanders?

Sanders is /ˈsændəɹz/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Sanders getting more or less common?

More common. 220,902 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 230,374 in 2010, up 4.3%.

Is Sanders also a first name?

Yes. Sanders is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Sanders

An English patronymic surname, the 94th most common in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈsændəɹz/ 2 syllables Soundex S536 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Sanders is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

English origin

From the Middle English Sander, a shortened form of Alexander + suffix -s.

Sanders is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 1,446 English surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 230,374 people named Sanders in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 1,340 Americans. That is up 4.3% since 2000, when the Census counted 220,902.

#94

rank among US surnames

230,374

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+4.3%

change since 2000 (was #88)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#85	James	249,379	1,238
#86	Bennett	247,599	1,247
#87	Gray	246,116	1,254
#88	Mendoza	242,771	1,272
#89	Ruiz	238,234	1,296
#90	Hughes	236,271	1,307
#91	Price	235,251	1,312

Who is named Sanders

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

61% of people named Sanders identified as white (not Hispanic), 33% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.6% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 61%
Black (not Hispanic) 33%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.6%
Two or more races 2.4%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.4%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Sanderss

51 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Harland Sanders
American entrepreneur (1890-1980) who founded KFC
George Sanders
British actor (1906–1972)
Pharoah Sanders
American jazz saxophonist (1940–2022)
Chris Sanders
American filmmaker, animator, and voice actor (born 1962)
Erin Sanders
American actress, born 1991
Ashton Sanders
American actor, born 1995
Christoph Sanders
American actor, born 1988
Jay O. Sanders
American actor (born 1953)
Summer Sanders
American sports commentator, reporter, television personality, actress and former competit, born 1972
Barry Sanders
American football player (born 1968)
Satch Sanders
American basketball player and coach, born 1938
Larry Sanders
American basketball player (born 1988)

Notable Sanderss come mostly from the United States (45), Belgium (3) and the United Kingdom (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Sanders

Sanders has the Soundex code S536, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code S536.

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Sanders come from?: From the Middle English Sander, a shortened form of Alexander + suffix -s.
How common is the surname Sanders?: 230,374 people in the United States had the surname Sanders in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,340 Americans. It ranked 94th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Sanders?: In the 2010 Census, 61% of people named Sanders identified as white (not Hispanic), and 33% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Sanders?: Harland Sanders, American entrepreneur (1890-1980) who founded KFC, followed by George Sanders.
Where is the surname Sanders most common?: Wikidata records people named Sanders in the United States, Belgium and the United Kingdom and 1 other country.
How do you pronounce Sanders?: Sanders is /ˈsændəɹz/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Sanders?: Sanders is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Sanders getting more or less common?: More common. 220,902 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 230,374 in 2010, up 4.3%.
Is Sanders also a first name?: Yes. Sanders is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.