Explore the Family Name Sack
The meaning of Sack
1. German, Flemish, Dutch, and Jewish (Ashkenazic): metonymic occupational name, either for a maker of sacks or bags, or for someone who carried sacks, from Middle High German sack, Middle Dutch sack, sac ‘sack’. 2. German: nickname for a plump person, from Middle High German sac ‘bag, belly’. 3. German: topographic name from Middle High German sack ‘sack, end of a valley or area of cultivation’. 4. Dutch: from a variant of Zack, a short form of the personal name Zacharias or Isaak (see Isaac). 5. Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): acronymic surname from the first letters of the Hebrew phrase Zera Keshodim ‘Seed of the Holy’ (referring to martyred ancestors), or from a short form of the personal name Isaac. Compare Zak. History: The Jewish surname Sack (in the sense 5) is one of the old Ashkenazic surnames. In Eastern Europe, it was used by rabbinical families well before the mass adoption of surnames by local Jews at the turn of the 19th century.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Sack in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname 'Sack' saw a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked at 8,422 and then slipped to 8,791 in 2010, indicating a change of -4.38%. However, the count of individuals with this surname rose slightly from 3,604 in 2000 to 3,729 in 2010, showing a growth of 3.47%. The proportion of people named Sack per 100,000 also declined by 5.97% over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,422 | #8,791 | -4.38% |
| Count | 3,604 | 3,729 | 3.47% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.34 | 1.26 | -5.97% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Sack
The Decennial U.S. Census showed variations in the ethnic identity associated with the surname 'Sack' between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of people identifying as White decreased slightly from 95.34% to 92.52%. Simultaneously, there was a notable increase in those identifying with multiple races, rising from 0.86% to 1.58%. There were also increases for those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native. For example, Hispanic representation increased from 1.42% to 2.44%, and the Black community saw an increase from 0.64% to 1.10%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.34% | 92.52% | -2.96% |
| Hispanic | 1.42% | 2.44% | 71.83% |
| Two or More Races | 0.86% | 1.58% | 83.72% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.92% | 1.37% | 48.91% |
| Black | 0.64% | 1.1% | 71.88% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.83% | 0.99% | 19.28% |
Sack ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Sack is French & German, which comprises 29.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (26.1%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (23.5%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Italian, Indigenous American, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| French & German | 29.2% |
| British & Irish | 26.1% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 23.5% |
| Other | 21.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Sack
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Sack have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 60.70% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 60.70% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 60.70% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 60.70% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 60.70% |
What Sack haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Sack is J-M172, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup J-M172 is descended from haplogroup J-M304. Other common haplogroups include R-U152 and I-DF29, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Weidman, Lehr, Lux, Lipp, Leffler, Scholl, Weiler, Wendell, Hesse, Schram.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Sack surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins J-M304
Your paternal lineage may be linked to some of the first farmers
The first farmers in western Eurasia lived in the Fertile Crescent, a region of the Middle East stretching from the Nile Delta to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. With their new technology, they were able to live more sedentary lives, support larger populations, and build civilizations. They also began to move rapidly outwards from the Middle East. One of the earliest regions they expanded into was Armenia, a crossroads between the Middle East and northern Eurasia that was transformed into a fertile landscape at the end of the Ice Age. In addition to their culture, some of the men involved in this early migration carried haplogroup J-M172. In fact, their arrival in the region left genetic signatures that can still be seen in the J-M172 lineages found in Armenian men today, especially in Ararat Valley, Gardman, and Lake Van.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Sack have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Sack" Surname 52.9%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Sack" Surname 31.2%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Sack" Surname 14.6%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Sack" Surname 16.3%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Sack?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Sack are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition