2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Savignac
A surname from a place name in France, possibly referring to an estate or location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Savignac. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Savignac 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Savignac in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Savignac, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and Black (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Savignac
The surname Savignac originates from France and traces its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the French place name "Savignac," a small town located in the southwestern region of the country, near the city of Périgueux.
The name Savignac itself is thought to have evolved from the Latin word "Sabiniaco," which referred to an estate or property belonging to someone named Sabinius. This suggests that the surname may have initially been associated with the landowners or nobility of the area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Savignac can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Cyprien, a collection of medieval documents from the 11th century. This cartulary mentions a certain "Petrus de Savignac" in the year 1080, suggesting that the surname was already well-established in the region by that time.
In the 13th century, the name appears in the Livre des Fiefs, a register of feudal landholdings in the region of Périgord. This document lists several individuals with the surname Savignac, indicating their status as landowners and their connection to the local nobility.
Over the centuries, the Savignac family produced several notable figures, including:
1. Jean de Savignac (c. 1450 - 1520), a French nobleman and military leader who fought in the Italian Wars under King Charles VIII and King Louis XII.
2. Pierre de Savignac (c. 1520 - 1585), a French clergyman who served as the Bishop of Lectoure from 1568 to 1585.
3. Jacques de Savignac (c. 1570 - 1635), a French explorer and cartographer who accompanied Samuel de Champlain on his expeditions to Canada and helped map the St. Lawrence River.
4. Françoise de Savignac (c. 1620 - 1690), a French noblewoman and philanthropist known for her contributions to the establishment of several charitable institutions in the Périgord region.
5. Étienne de Savignac (c. 1680 - 1745), a French military engineer who played a significant role in the construction of fortifications along the French-Spanish border during the War of the Spanish Succession.
While the surname Savignac is not as common today as it once was, it remains an important part of French cultural and historical heritage, with its roots firmly planted in the medieval period and the noble traditions of the Périgord region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Savignac
Among Census respondents with the surname Savignac, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and Black (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Savignac 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 Savignac surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 98
- Two or more races6.3% · 7
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Savignac
Savignac 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,312 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-5 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,516 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,312 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 5,516 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 Savignac 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 | #143,149 | #148,665 | -3.9% |
| Count | 116 | 111 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Savignac bearers went from 116 to 111 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 5,516 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #148,665.
FAQ
Savignac surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Savignac?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Savignac. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Savignac?
Savignac ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Savignac. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Savignac.
Has Savignac become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Savignac went from 116 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Savignac?
Among Census respondents with the surname Savignac, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and Black (2.7%). 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 Savignac in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Savignac appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Two or More Races (6.3%), Black (2.7%). 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 Savignac (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 Savignac mean?
A surname from a place name in France, possibly referring to an estate or location. 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 Savignac (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 share the surname Savignac?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.