2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Sauvain
An Old French surname derived from the word "sauvage" meaning "wild" or "savage".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Sauvain. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sauvain 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Sauvain in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauvain, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sauvain
The surname Sauvain originated in France during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "sauvage," meaning "wild" or "savage." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived in a remote or rural area, or perhaps someone with a fierce or untamed personality.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Sauvain can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is a reference to a Jean Sauvain in the records of the Parlement of Paris, dated 1298. Another early mention comes from a 1387 charter from the region of Burgundy, which lists a landowner named Pierre Sauvain.
In the 15th century, the name appears to have spread to other regions of France, with records indicating Sauvain families living in Normandy and the Rhône-Alpes area. One notable bearer of the name from this period was Jacques Sauvain, a renowned artist and woodcarver who lived in Lyon from around 1420 to 1480.
As the centuries progressed, the Sauvain name continued to be found throughout France, with some variations in spelling, such as Sauvain, Sauvaint, and Sauvainne. In the 17th century, a notable figure was François Sauvain, a French soldier and explorer who participated in the colonization of Canada and the Caribbean between 1612 and 1638.
During the 18th century, the Sauvain family produced several notable individuals, including Jean-Baptiste Sauvain, a prominent lawyer and judge in Paris who lived from 1721 to 1798. Another significant figure was Marie-Thérèse Sauvain, a writer and philosopher who was active in the French Enlightenment circles from 1755 to 1835.
In the 19th century, the name continued to be found in various parts of France, with some families migrating to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One noteworthy individual from this period was Émile Sauvain, a French painter and sculptor who lived from 1842 to 1917 and was known for his depictions of rural life and landscapes.
While the surname Sauvain is not among the most common in France today, it has a long and storied history that spans several centuries and is deeply rooted in the country's cultural and linguistic heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sauvain
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauvain, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sauvain 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 Sauvain surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sauvain
Sauvain 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+5 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,258 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-23 bearers (-18.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,783 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 4,258 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -23 bearers (-18.0%) | Down 20,783 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 Sauvain 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 | #132,206 | #152,989 | -15.7% |
| Count | 128 | 105 | -18.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sauvain bearers went from 128 to 105 (-18.0% change). The surname moved down 20,783 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #152,989.
FAQ
Sauvain surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sauvain?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Sauvain. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Sauvain?
Sauvain ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Sauvain. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Sauvain.
Has Sauvain become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sauvain went from 128 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 23 (-18.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Sauvain?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sauvain, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Sauvain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sauvain appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (4.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Sauvain (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 Sauvain mean?
An Old French surname derived from the word "sauvage" meaning "wild" or "savage". 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 Sauvain (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 are called Sauvain?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Sauvain on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.