2000
#28,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 776
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.29
Rare Last name
Sauvageau
A French surname meaning "little wild man" or "savage man".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,068 Americans carry the last name Sauvageau. That puts it at #27,432 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 320,931 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sauvageau 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
1.1K
1 in 320,931
Census rank
#27,432
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
931
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 931 bearers of the surname Sauvageau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27432nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauvageau, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sauvageau
The surname Sauvageau originates from France and dates back to the 12th century. It is a regional name derived from the Old French word "sauvage", meaning "wild" or "savage". This surname was likely first used to describe someone who lived in a remote or isolated area, far from civilization.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Sauvageau can be found in medieval documents from the Normandy region of northern France. It is believed that the name may have been adopted by families living in the heavily forested areas surrounding the towns of Rouen and Caen.
One of the first known bearers of the Sauvageau name was Jean Sauvageau, a landowner from the village of Aubevoye near Rouen, who was mentioned in tax records from the year 1295. Another early reference is found in the Livre des Fiefs du Comté de Champagne, a 14th-century feudal register that lists a certain Jehan Sauvageau as a vassal of the Count of Champagne.
In the 16th century, the Sauvageau family gained prominence in the city of La Rochelle, a major port on the Atlantic coast. Notable members from this period include Jacques Sauvageau (1525-1598), a successful merchant and ship owner, and his son Pierre Sauvageau (1560-1632), who served as a city councilor.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, several Sauvageau families immigrated to the French colonies of Quebec and Louisiana, where they continued to use the surname. One of the earliest known settlers was Jacques Sauvageau, who arrived in Montreal around 1650 and established a farm near the St. Lawrence River.
Other historically significant figures with the Sauvageau surname include:
1. Louis-Philippe Sauvageau (1792-1876), a Quebec lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada.
2. Camille Sauvageau (1868-1930), a renowned French botanist and phycologist who made significant contributions to the study of marine algae.
3. Alice Sauvageau (1896-1988), a French painter and printmaker known for her vibrant depictions of Parisian street scenes and café culture.
4. Paul Sauvageau (1908-1990), a Canadian poet and playwright who was a prominent figure in the literary renaissance of Quebec in the 1930s and 1940s.
5. Jacques Sauvageau (1933-2016), a French film director and screenwriter best known for his collaborations with actor Jean-Paul Belmondo in the 1960s and 1970s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sauvageau
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauvageau, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sauvageau 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 Sauvageau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 850
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 28
- Two or more races3.0% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 6
- Black or African American0.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sauvageau
Sauvageau 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
#26,772
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 909
+133 bearers (+17.1%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Up 2,084 places
2020
#27,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 931
+22 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Down 660 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #28,856 | 776 | 0.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #26,772 | 909 | 0.31 | +133 bearers (+17.1%) | Up 2,084 places |
| 2020 | #27,432 | 931 | 0.31 | +22 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 660 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 Sauvageau 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 | #26,772 | #27,432 | -2.5% |
| Count | 909 | 931 | 2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.31 | 0.31 | 0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sauvageau bearers went from 909 to 931 (+2.4% change). The surname moved down 660 positions in the national ranking, going from #26,772 to #27,432.
FAQ
Sauvageau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sauvageau?
Name Census estimates that about 1,068 living Americans carry the surname Sauvageau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 320,931 residents.
How common is Sauvageau?
Sauvageau ranks #27,432 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.31 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 931 people with the surname Sauvageau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,068), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.31 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 Sauvageau.
Has Sauvageau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sauvageau went from 909 recorded bearers to 931. That is an increase of 22 (+2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #26,772 to #27,432.
What does the Census say about the background of Sauvageau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauvageau, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Sauvageau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (850 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sauvageau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Sauvageau (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 Sauvageau mean?
A French surname meaning "little wild man" or "savage man". 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 Sauvageau (0.31 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 share the surname Sauvageau?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.