2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Sakwa
A surname of Slavic origin meaning "satchel" or "bag".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Sakwa. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sakwa 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Sakwa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sakwa, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.8%. The next largest groups are Black (40.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sakwa
The surname SAKWA has its origins in Poland, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Polish word "sakwa," which refers to a type of small pouch or bag used for carrying money or valuables. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who worked as merchants, traders, or those involved in the production or sale of such pouches.
One of the earliest known references to the SAKWA surname can be found in the records of the Krakow region, where it was documented in the late 1500s. During this period, Poland was a center of trade and commerce, with merchants and artisans playing a significant role in the economy. It is possible that the name SAKWA originated among these groups.
In the 17th century, the SAKWA name appeared in various records and documents across Poland, particularly in the regions of Lesser Poland and Silesia. Some notable individuals bearing this surname during this time included Jan SAKWA, a merchant from Krakow (born around 1620), and Tomasz SAKWA, a craftsman from Wroclaw (born circa 1650).
As the centuries passed, the SAKWA name spread to other parts of Poland and neighboring countries. In the 18th century, there were records of individuals with this surname in the Prussian region of Pomerania, which was then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. One such individual was Andrzej SAKWA, a landowner and farmer from the town of Gdansk (born around 1725).
The 19th century saw the rise of several notable figures bearing the SAKWA surname. One of them was Ignacy SAKWA, a Polish artist and painter active in the late 1800s, known for his landscape and portrait works. Another was Jan SAKWA, a Polish writer and journalist born in 1845, who contributed to several literary publications of the time.
In the 20th century, the SAKWA surname continued to be present in various fields. One noteworthy individual was Stanislaw SAKWA, a Polish economist and academic born in 1912, who made significant contributions to the study of international trade and economic development.
It is worth noting that while the SAKWA surname has its roots in Poland, it has also been documented in other countries, likely due to migration and the spread of Polish communities throughout the world. However, the historical records and examples mentioned above primarily focus on the name's origins and early presence in Poland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sakwa
Among Census respondents with the surname Sakwa, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.8%. The next largest groups are Black (40.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sakwa 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 Sakwa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.8% · 56
- Black or African American40.6% · 43
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sakwa
Sakwa 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
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+4 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,093 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.9%) | Up 6,093 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 Sakwa 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 | #158,432 | #152,339 | 3.8% |
| Count | 102 | 106 | 3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sakwa bearers went from 102 to 106 (+3.9% change). The surname moved up 6,093 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #152,339.
FAQ
Sakwa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sakwa?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Sakwa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Sakwa?
Sakwa ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Sakwa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Sakwa.
Has Sakwa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sakwa went from 102 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 4 (+3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Sakwa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sakwa, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.8%. The next largest groups are Black (40.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Sakwa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.8% (56 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sakwa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.8%), Black (40.6%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Sakwa (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 Sakwa mean?
A surname of Slavic origin meaning "satchel" or "bag". 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 Sakwa (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 last name Sakwa?
Find out how many people have the surname Sakwa on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.