2000
#5,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,453
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.02
Rare Last name
Salvatore
An Italian occupational surname referring to a savior or someone who saves or protects others.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,589 Americans carry the last name Salvatore. That puts it at #6,656 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,327 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salvatore 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Salvatore with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 61,327
Census rank
#6,656
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,874 bearers of the surname Salvatore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6656th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salvatore, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salvatore
The surname Salvatore is of Italian origin, derived from the Italian given name Salvatore, meaning "savior" or "redeemer." This name has its roots in the Latin word "salvator," which carries the same meaning.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Salvatore can be traced back to the late medieval period in various regions of Italy, particularly in the southern regions of Campania, Calabria, and Sicily. These areas were known for their strong Christian traditions, and the name Salvatore was likely adopted as a way to honor the religious significance of the word.
In the 14th century, the name Salvatore appeared in several historical documents, including the records of the Republic of Venice. One notable example is the mention of a Venetian merchant named Salvatore Contarini, who lived in the late 14th century and was involved in trade with the Byzantine Empire.
The surname Salvatore also has connections to various place names in Italy. For instance, the town of Salvatore in the province of Reggio Calabria, located in the southern region of Calabria, likely derived its name from an individual or family bearing the surname Salvatore who resided in the area.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the surname Salvatore. One prominent figure was Salvatore Quasimodo (1901-1968), an Italian poet and writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1959 for his "lyrical poetry, which with classical fire expresses the tragic experience of life in our own times."
Another notable Salvatore was Salvatore Ferragamo (1898-1960), an Italian shoe designer and entrepreneur who founded the renowned Ferragamo fashion company. His innovative designs and techniques revolutionized the shoemaking industry and made his brand a global success.
In the realm of politics, Salvatore Schillaci (1859-1929) was an Italian politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Italy for a brief period in 1919. He played a crucial role in shaping Italy's domestic and foreign policies during the post-World War I era.
Salvatore Carnevale (1915-1986) was an Italian-American artist and sculptor known for his works in bronze and his depictions of religious and mythological themes. His sculptures can be found in various public spaces and museums across the United States.
Lastly, Salvatore Accardo (born 1941) is an esteemed Italian violinist and conductor who has performed with numerous renowned orchestras and ensembles around the world. He is widely regarded as one of the preeminent violinists of his generation and has made significant contributions to the classical music repertoire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salvatore
Among Census respondents with the surname Salvatore, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Salvatore 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 Salvatore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 4,434
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 284
- Two or more races1.8% · 89
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 45
- Black or African American0.4% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salvatore
Salvatore 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
#6,046
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,680
+227 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.93
Rank movement Down 239 places
2020
#6,656
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,874
-806 bearers (-14.2%)
Per 100,000 1.63
Rank movement Down 610 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,807 | 5,453 | 2.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,046 | 5,680 | 1.93 | +227 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 239 places |
| 2020 | #6,656 | 4,874 | 1.63 | -806 bearers (-14.2%) | Down 610 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 Salvatore 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 | #6,046 | #6,656 | -10.1% |
| Count | 5,680 | 4,874 | -14.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.93 | 1.63 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salvatore bearers went from 5,680 to 4,874 (-14.2% change). The surname moved down 610 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,046 to #6,656.
FAQ
Salvatore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salvatore?
Name Census estimates that about 5,589 living Americans carry the surname Salvatore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,327 residents.
How common is Salvatore?
Salvatore ranks #6,656 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,874 people with the surname Salvatore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,589), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Salvatore.
Has Salvatore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salvatore went from 5,680 recorded bearers to 4,874. That is a decrease of 806 (-14.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,046 to #6,656.
What does the Census say about the background of Salvatore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salvatore, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Salvatore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (4,434 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salvatore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (5.8%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Salvatore (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 Salvatore mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a savior or someone who saves or protects others. 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 Salvatore (1.63 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 Salvatore?
Find out how common the surname Salvatore is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.