2010
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Savalza
A surname possibly of Armenian origin with an uncertain meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Savalza. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Savalza 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Savalza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Savalza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.4%. The next largest groups are White (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Savalza
The surname Savalza has its origins in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France, with the earliest known recordings dating back to the 13th century. Linguists believe the name is derived from the Basque words "sabel" meaning belly or womb, and "za" which is a diminutive suffix. This suggests the name may have originated as a nickname or description relating to a person's physical appearance or stature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Savalza name appears in the Codex de Roda, a 12th century cartulary from the Monastery of Santa María de Roda in Aragon, Spain. This manuscript mentions a landowner named Petrus de Savalza in a document dated 1237. The name is also found in several other medieval Aragonese charters and records from the 13th and 14th centuries, often spelled as Saualza or Saualtza.
In the 15th century, the Savalza name began appearing in records from the neighboring region of Navarre, suggesting the family had spread beyond its original Aragonese base. A notable figure from this period was Juan de Savalza, a merchant and landowner in the town of Tudela, who is mentioned in municipal records from 1472.
As the centuries passed, variations of the Savalza name emerged in different regions, such as Sabalza in parts of Navarre and the Basque Country, and Sabalce in Catalonia. In the 16th century, a branch of the family settled in the town of Salvatierra, adopting the spelling Sabalcega or Sabalzega.
One of the most prominent individuals to bear the Savalza name was Pedro de Savalza y Arce, a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as Governor of Chile from 1623 to 1629. He played a significant role in the Arauco War against the Mapuche people and founded several settlements in the Chilean territory.
Another noteworthy figure was Martín de Savalza, a 17th century Basque priest and writer who authored several religious works, including a treatise on the life of Saint Ignatius of Loyola published in 1630. His writings provide valuable insights into the culture and beliefs of the Basque people during that era.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Savalza
Among Census respondents with the surname Savalza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.4%. The next largest groups are White (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Savalza 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 Savalza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino97.4% · 114
- White1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Savalza
Savalza appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-11 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,064 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 12,064 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 Savalza 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 | #144,270 | -9.1% |
| Count | 128 | 117 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Savalza bearers went from 128 to 117 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 12,064 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #144,270.
FAQ
Savalza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Savalza?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Savalza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Savalza?
Savalza ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Savalza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Savalza.
Has Savalza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Savalza went from 128 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Savalza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Savalza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.4%. The next largest groups are White (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Savalza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Savalza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (97.4%), White (1.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Savalza (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 Savalza mean?
A surname possibly of Armenian origin with an uncertain meaning. 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 Savalza (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 Americans have the surname Savalza?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.