2000
#49,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 394
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.15
Very Rare Last name
Savageau
A French surname derived from "sauvage" meaning "wild" or "savage", possibly describing a fierce warrior or someone residing in a remote area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 493 Americans carry the last name Savageau. That puts it at #52,161 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 695,242 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Savageau 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
493
1 in 695,242
Census rank
#52,161
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
430
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 430 bearers of the surname Savageau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 52161st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Savageau, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Savageau
The surname Savageau originated in France and can be traced back to the early 12th century. It is derived from the Old French words "sauvage" and "eau", meaning "wild" and "water" respectively. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a wild or untamed body of water.
The earliest recorded mention of the Savageau name can be found in the historic records of the Normandy region of France, where it is believed to have originated. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jean Savageau, a landowner in the village of Rouen, who was born around 1190.
During the Middle Ages, the Savageau family played a prominent role in the affairs of the Duchy of Normandy. In 1347, a knight named Raoul Savageau was recorded as serving in the army of King Philip VI during the Hundred Years' War. His name appears in the Roles Normands, an important medieval manuscript that documented the Norman nobility.
As the Savageau family dispersed throughout France over the centuries, various spellings of the name emerged, such as Sauvageau, Sauvageaux, and Savagio. In the 16th century, a notable figure named Pierre Sauvageau (1520-1585) was a renowned physician and scholar who authored several medical treatises.
Another notable bearer of the Savageau name was Jacques Savageau (1612-1679), a French explorer who accompanied the famous Samuel de Champlain on his expeditions to the New World. Savageau is credited with being one of the first Europeans to map and document the St. Lawrence River region of what is now Canada.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, many Savageau families immigrated to the French colonies in North America, particularly the regions of Quebec and Acadia (now Nova Scotia and New Brunswick). One of the earliest recorded Savageau settlers in New France was Michel Savageau, who arrived in Quebec in 1661.
Over time, the Savageau name has continued to be represented by notable figures throughout history. For example, Louis Savageau (1789-1861) was a prominent businessman and politician in Lower Canada (now Quebec), while Pierre-Georges Savageau (1822-1896) was a respected lawyer and judge in the same region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Savageau
Among Census respondents with the surname Savageau, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Savageau 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 Savageau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.3% · 367
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 24
- Two or more races5.1% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 14
- Black or African American0.5% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Savageau
Savageau 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
#49,461
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 425
+31 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Up 504 places
2020
#52,161
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 430
+5 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 2,700 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #49,965 | 394 | 0.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #49,461 | 425 | 0.14 | +31 bearers (+7.9%) | Up 504 places |
| 2020 | #52,161 | 430 | 0.14 | +5 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 2,700 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 Savageau 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 | #49,461 | #52,161 | -5.5% |
| Count | 425 | 430 | 1.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.14 | 2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Savageau bearers went from 425 to 430 (+1.2% change). The surname moved down 2,700 positions in the national ranking, going from #49,461 to #52,161.
FAQ
Savageau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Savageau?
Name Census estimates that about 493 living Americans carry the surname Savageau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 695,242 residents.
How common is Savageau?
Savageau ranks #52,161 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 430 people with the surname Savageau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (493), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Savageau.
Has Savageau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Savageau went from 425 recorded bearers to 430. That is an increase of 5 (+1.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #49,461 to #52,161.
What does the Census say about the background of Savageau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Savageau, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Savageau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (367 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Savageau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.3%), Hispanic (5.6%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Savageau (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 Savageau mean?
A French surname derived from "sauvage" meaning "wild" or "savage", possibly describing a fierce warrior or someone residing in a remote area. 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 Savageau (0.14 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 Savageau?
See how many Americans have the surname Savageau on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.