2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Salavarria
An Aragonese surname derived from the Basque word "sala" meaning willow tree and "barria" meaning valley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Salavarria. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salavarria 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Salavarria in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salavarria, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.8%. The next largest groups are White (16.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salavarria
The surname Salavarria originates from the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Basque words "sala," meaning hall or manor, and "barri," meaning new or recent, suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a newly constructed manor or hall.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Salavarria can be found in a document from the Archivo General de Navarra, dated 1234, which mentions a certain Sancho Salavarria. The name also appears in various medieval records and manuscripts from the Basque region, often spelled in slightly different variations such as Salavarria, Salavarría, or Salabarria.
During the 14th century, the Salavarria family established a presence in the town of Ermua, located in the province of Biscay, where they held a prominent position and owned significant land holdings. One notable member of the family from this period was Juan Salavarria (1320-1389), a respected landowner and local authority figure.
In the 16th century, the Salavarria name appeared in connection with the town of Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital of the Basque Country. A prominent figure from this era was María Salavarria (1525-1602), a wealthy landowner and patron of the arts, who commissioned several works of religious art and literature.
As the Salavarria family spread beyond the Basque region, the name appeared in other parts of Spain and eventually in the Americas. One notable individual was Rodrigo Salavarria (1678-1742), a Spanish explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to the Pacific Coast of the Americas in the early 18th century.
Another notable figure was Juan Salavarria (1795-1871), a Chilean politician and military officer who played a significant role in the Chilean War of Independence against Spain. He served as a general in the Chilean Army and later held various political positions, including Minister of War and Minister of the Interior.
Throughout its history, the Salavarria surname has been associated with various professions and social classes, from landowners and nobility to artists, explorers, and political figures. While its origins can be traced back to the Basque region of northern Spain, the name has since spread across Spain, Latin America, and other parts of the world, reflecting the diverse paths taken by those who have carried this surname over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salavarria
Among Census respondents with the surname Salavarria, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.8%. The next largest groups are White (16.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Salavarria 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 Salavarria surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino74.8% · 89
- White16.8% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.7% · 8
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salavarria
Salavarria 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+18 bearers (+16.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,925 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-7 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,925 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+16.7%) | Up 7,925 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 8,925 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 Salavarria 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 | #133,863 | #142,788 | -6.7% |
| Count | 126 | 119 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salavarria bearers went from 126 to 119 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 8,925 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #142,788.
FAQ
Salavarria surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salavarria?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Salavarria. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Salavarria?
Salavarria ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Salavarria. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Salavarria.
Has Salavarria become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salavarria went from 126 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Salavarria?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salavarria, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.8%. The next largest groups are White (16.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Salavarria in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.8% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salavarria appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (74.8%), White (16.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.7%). 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 Salavarria (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 Salavarria mean?
An Aragonese surname derived from the Basque word "sala" meaning willow tree and "barria" meaning valley. 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 Salavarria (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 Salavarria?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.