2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Karvelis
A Lithuanian surname possibly deriving from the word for "dove" or "pigeon".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Karvelis. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Karvelis 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.
Bearers in the US
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Karvelis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Karvelis, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Karvelis
The surname Karvelis originates from Lithuania and dates back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Lithuanian word "karvelis," which means "dove" or "pigeon." The name likely originated as a nickname for someone with a gentle or peaceful demeanor, akin to a dove.
Karvelis is a relatively uncommon surname, and its earliest recorded instances can be found in various historical records from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jonas Karvelis, a merchant who lived in Vilnius in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the Karvelis name appeared in various legal documents and land records from the regions of Samogitia and Aukštaitija in Lithuania. During this time, the name was sometimes spelled with variations such as "Karwielis" or "Karwielius."
A notable figure bearing the Karvelis surname was Kazimieras Karvelis (1736-1809), a Lithuanian nobleman and landowner who played a role in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's efforts against the Russian Empire in the late 18th century.
Another significant individual was Juozas Karvelis (1858-1942), a Lithuanian writer, journalist, and linguist who contributed significantly to the preservation and promotion of the Lithuanian language during the period of Russian occupation.
In the 20th century, Antanas Karvelis (1901-1987) was a prominent Lithuanian painter and graphic artist known for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life in Lithuania.
Vytautas Karvelis (1920-2003) was a Lithuanian-American artist and painter who immigrated to the United States after World War II and became known for his abstract expressionist works.
While not as widespread as some other Lithuanian surnames, the Karvelis name has a rich history and can be traced back to the 16th century, with various notable individuals bearing this surname throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karvelis
Among Census respondents with the surname Karvelis, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Karvelis 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 Karvelis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Karvelis
Karvelis 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,383 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-7 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,419 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,383 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 6,419 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 Karvelis 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 | #145,220 | #151,639 | -4.4% |
| Count | 114 | 107 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Karvelis bearers went from 114 to 107 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 6,419 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #151,639.
FAQ
Karvelis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Karvelis?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Karvelis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Karvelis?
Karvelis ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 107 people with the surname Karvelis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Karvelis.
Has Karvelis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Karvelis went from 114 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Karvelis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Karvelis, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Karvelis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Karvelis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Karvelis (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 Karvelis mean?
A Lithuanian surname possibly deriving from the word for "dove" or "pigeon". 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 Karvelis (0.04 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 common is the surname Karvelis?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Karvelis, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.