Explore the Family Name Sarnoff

The meaning of Sarnoff

Jewish (from Ukraine): westernized form of Sarnov, a habitational name for someone from Sarny in Ukraine. Compare Sarner.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Sarnoff in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Sarnoff has seen a minor decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, the surname ranked 58,692 and came down slightly in rank to 62,531 in 2010 — a change of -6.54%. The count of individuals with this surname also declined marginally from 323 in 2000 to 320 in 2010, showing a -0.93% change. Consequently, the proportion of people with the Sarnoff surname per 100,000 population dropped by -8.33%, from 0.12 in 2000 to 0.11 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#58,692#62,531-6.54%
Count323320-0.93%
Proportion per 100k0.120.11-8.33%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Sarnoff

Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Sarnoff, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that most bearers of this name identified as White in both 2000 and 2010. There was a slight increase in the percentage identifying as White, from 94.43% in 2000 to 96.88% in 2010. Notably, there were no recorded Sarnoffs who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, American Indian and Alaskan Native, or as belonging to two or more races during these years. Interestingly, individuals carrying the Sarnoff surname and identifying as Hispanic went from 3.41% in 2000 to none in 2010.

20002010Change
White94.43%96.88%2.59%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Two or More Races0%0%0%
Hispanic3.41%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%