2000
#59,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 317
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Savela
A surname with possible Finnish origins, derived from the word "save" meaning clay or mud.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 412 Americans carry the last name Savela. That puts it at #60,581 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 831,928 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Savela 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
412
1 in 831,928
Census rank
#60,581
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
359
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 359 bearers of the surname Savela in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 60581st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Savela, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Savela
The surname Savela has its origins in Finland, emerging in the 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the Finnish word "save," which translates to "clay" or "mud." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to individuals residing in areas with clayey or muddy soil.
Savela is a typical example of a Finnish surname formed by adding the possessive suffix "-la" to a descriptive word, creating a name that signifies "one associated with clay." This naming convention was common in Finland during the adoption of hereditary surnames in the late medieval and early modern periods.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Savela surname can be found in the parish records of Ilmajoki, a municipality in Western Finland, where several families with this name were documented in the late 1600s. It is possible that these families originated from the same progenitor, or that the name emerged independently in different regions due to its descriptive nature.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Savela name appeared in various Finnish historical records and documents, indicating its widespread use across different parts of the country. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Aarno Savela (1879-1958), a Finnish architect known for designing several prominent buildings in Helsinki, and Erkki Savela (1909-1988), a Finnish wrestler who won a silver medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.
Another prominent figure was Vilho Savela (1898-1967), a Finnish politician who served as the Minister of Agriculture from 1946 to 1948. He played a crucial role in implementing post-war agricultural reforms in Finland. Additionally, Martti Savela (1915-1997) was a renowned Finnish journalist and author who wrote extensively on political and cultural topics.
In the realm of literature, Aila Savela (1905-1999) was a notable Finnish writer and translator who published several novels and short story collections. Her works often explored themes of human relationships and the complexities of modern life.
While the Savela surname originated in Finland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration and globalization. However, its roots remain firmly grounded in the Finnish language and the country's historical naming traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Savela
Among Census respondents with the surname Savela, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Savela 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 Savela surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 321
- Hispanic or Latino8.4% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 4
- Two or more races1.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Savela
Savela 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
#67,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 292
-25 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 7,908 places
2020
#60,581
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 359
+67 bearers (+22.9%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 6,938 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #59,611 | 317 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #67,519 | 292 | 0.10 | -25 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 7,908 places |
| 2020 | #60,581 | 359 | 0.12 | +67 bearers (+22.9%) | Up 6,938 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 Savela 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 | #67,519 | #60,581 | 10.3% |
| Count | 292 | 359 | 22.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.12 | 20.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Savela bearers went from 292 to 359 (+22.9% change). The surname moved up 6,938 positions in the national ranking, going from #67,519 to #60,581.
FAQ
Savela surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Savela?
Name Census estimates that about 412 living Americans carry the surname Savela. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 831,928 residents.
How common is Savela?
Savela ranks #60,581 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 359 people with the surname Savela. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (412), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Savela.
Has Savela become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Savela went from 292 recorded bearers to 359. That is an increase of 67 (+22.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #67,519 to #60,581.
What does the Census say about the background of Savela?
Among Census respondents with the surname Savela, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Savela in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (321 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Savela appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Hispanic (8.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Savela (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 Savela mean?
A surname with possible Finnish origins, derived from the word "save" meaning clay or mud. 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 Savela (0.12 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 surname Savela?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.