2000
#35,487
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 600
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.22
Very Rare Last name
Savitz
A habitational surname derived from a place name in Central or Eastern Europe.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 675 Americans carry the last name Savitz. That puts it at #40,169 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 507,784 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Savitz 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
675
1 in 507,784
Census rank
#40,169
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
589
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 589 bearers of the surname Savitz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 40169th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Savitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Savitz
The surname "SAVITZ" is of Jewish origin, and it is believed to have originated in Eastern Europe, particularly in the areas of modern-day Poland and Ukraine, during the late 18th or early 19th century.
This name is likely derived from the Hebrew word "Shavit," which means "to return" or "to convert." It is possible that the name was given to individuals or families who had converted to Judaism or had returned to the Jewish faith after a period of estrangement or persecution.
The earliest recorded instances of the name "SAVITZ" can be found in various census records and birth/marriage/death registers from the early 19th century in the regions of Galicia and the Pale of Settlement, which were part of the Russian Empire at the time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname "SAVITZ" was Abraham Savitz, who was born in the town of Brody, Galicia (now in Ukraine) in 1810. He was a prominent merchant and community leader in his hometown.
Another notable individual with this surname was Yitzchak Savitz, a rabbi and scholar who lived in the town of Berdichev, Ukraine, in the mid-19th century. He was known for his expertise in Talmudic law and his contributions to the local Jewish community.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many individuals with the surname "SAVITZ" immigrated to the United States and other countries, seeking better opportunities and escaping persecution. One such individual was Samuel Savitz, who was born in Odessa, Ukraine, in 1875 and later settled in New York City, where he became a successful businessman.
Another prominent figure with this surname was Leon Savitz, an American lawyer and civil rights activist who was born in Philadelphia in 1903. He was actively involved in the fight against racial discrimination and played a key role in several landmark legal cases related to civil rights.
Rachel Savitz, born in Warsaw, Poland, in 1892, was a writer and activist who dedicated her life to promoting women's rights and education. She published several books and articles on these topics and was a prominent figure in the Jewish feminist movement of the early 20th century.
While the surname "SAVITZ" is not as common as some other Jewish surnames, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Savitz
Among Census respondents with the surname Savitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Savitz 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 Savitz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 533
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 24
- Two or more races3.4% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 10
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Savitz
Savitz 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
#35,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 627
+27 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 325 places
2020
#40,169
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 589
-38 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 4,357 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #35,487 | 600 | 0.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #35,812 | 627 | 0.21 | +27 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 325 places |
| 2020 | #40,169 | 589 | 0.20 | -38 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 4,357 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 Savitz 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 | #35,812 | #40,169 | -12.2% |
| Count | 627 | 589 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.20 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Savitz bearers went from 627 to 589 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 4,357 positions in the national ranking, going from #35,812 to #40,169.
FAQ
Savitz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Savitz?
Name Census estimates that about 675 living Americans carry the surname Savitz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 507,784 residents.
How common is Savitz?
Savitz ranks #40,169 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 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 589 people with the surname Savitz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (675), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 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 Savitz.
Has Savitz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Savitz went from 627 recorded bearers to 589. That is a decrease of 38 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #35,812 to #40,169.
What does the Census say about the background of Savitz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Savitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Savitz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (533 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Savitz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Savitz (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 Savitz mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name in Central or Eastern Europe. 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 Savitz (0.20 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 Savitz?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Savitz on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.