2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Kavaliauskas
A Lithuanian surname derived from the word "kavaliaus" meaning "cavalryman" or "horseman."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Kavaliauskas. 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 Kavaliauskas 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 Kavaliauskas 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 Kavaliauskas, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kavaliauskas
The surname KAVALIAUSKAS is of Lithuanian origin, derived from the Lithuanian word "kavaliùkas," which translates to "little knight" or "cavalier." The name likely emerged in the 13th or 14th century during the period when Lithuania was a Grand Duchy, and knighthood played a significant role in the societal hierarchy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KAVALIAUSKAS can be found in the Lithuanian Metrica, a collection of legal documents from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, dating back to the 15th century. The name is believed to have been initially given to individuals who served as knights or cavaliers in the Grand Duchy's military forces.
The KAVALIAUSKAS surname has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One such individual was Jonas Kavaliauskas (1592-1649), a Lithuanian nobleman and military commander who played a crucial role in the Lithuanian-Muscovite War of 1654-1667. Another prominent bearer of the name was Mykolas Kavaliauskas (1737-1805), a Lithuanian-Polish poet and playwright known for his satirical works.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name KAVALIAUSKAS was particularly prevalent in the regions of Vilnius and Kaunas, which were then part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The name's spelling variations included Kavaliauskas, Kavaliauski, and Kavaliauskis.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, as Lithuania came under the influence of the Russian Empire, the KAVALIAUSKAS surname was also found among Lithuanian communities in present-day Belarus and Ukraine. Notably, Simonas Kavaliauskas (1801-1876), a Lithuanian-born priest and educator, played a significant role in preserving Lithuanian culture and language in the region of Grodno (now Belarus) during this period.
Another notable bearer of the KAVALIAUSKAS surname was Antanas Kavaliauskas (1858-1919), a Lithuanian priest, writer, and publisher who was a prominent figure in the Lithuanian National Revival movement, which sought to revive and promote Lithuanian language, culture, and identity.
Throughout its history, the KAVALIAUSKAS surname has been closely tied to Lithuania's rich cultural and military heritage, reflecting the country's past as a powerful and influential Grand Duchy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kavaliauskas
Among Census respondents with the surname Kavaliauskas, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kavaliauskas 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 Kavaliauskas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 106
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kavaliauskas
Kavaliauskas appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+6 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,073 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.9%) | Up 8,073 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 Kavaliauskas 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 | #159,712 | #151,639 | 5.1% |
| Count | 101 | 107 | 5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kavaliauskas bearers went from 101 to 107 (+5.9% change). The surname moved up 8,073 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #151,639.
FAQ
Kavaliauskas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kavaliauskas?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Kavaliauskas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Kavaliauskas?
Kavaliauskas 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 Kavaliauskas. 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 Kavaliauskas.
Has Kavaliauskas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kavaliauskas went from 101 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 6 (+5.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Kavaliauskas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kavaliauskas, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Kavaliauskas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kavaliauskas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Kavaliauskas (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 Kavaliauskas mean?
A Lithuanian surname derived from the word "kavaliaus" meaning "cavalryman" or "horseman." 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 Kavaliauskas (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 many people have the surname Kavaliauskas?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.