2000
#33,425
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 644
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.24
Very Rare Last name
Savoca
Surname of Italian origin derived from a place name likely referring to a location or town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 710 Americans carry the last name Savoca. That puts it at #38,482 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 482,753 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Savoca 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
710
1 in 482,753
Census rank
#38,482
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
619
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 619 bearers of the surname Savoca in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38482nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Savoca, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Savoca
The surname Savoca has its origins in Italy, specifically in the regions of Sicily and Calabria. It is believed to have originated during the medieval period, possibly as early as the 11th or 12th century.
The name Savoca is thought to be derived from the Italian word "savoca," which means "a place where the soil is filled with gravel or small stones." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with a particular geographic location or settlement characterized by its rocky terrain.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Savoca can be found in the Sicilian records of the 14th century. It appears in a document dated 1362, which refers to a landowner named Guglielmo Savoca from the town of Savoca, located in the province of Messina, Sicily.
The town of Savoca itself has a rich history dating back to the ancient Greek and Roman periods. It is believed that the name Savoca may have originated from the Greek word "savakos," which means "rocky place," further reinforcing the connection between the name and the region's terrain.
In the 15th century, the Savoca family gained prominence in Sicily, and several members held influential positions within the local nobility. One notable figure was Antonino Savoca, who served as the mayor of Savoca in the late 1400s.
During the Renaissance period, the Savoca surname spread beyond Sicily and Calabria to other parts of Italy. In the 16th century, a branch of the family settled in Naples, where they became successful merchants and traders.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname Savoca. One such figure was Giuseppe Savoca (1673-1743), a renowned Sicilian painter known for his religious works and frescoes adorning churches across Sicily.
Another prominent individual was Niccolò Savoca (1820-1892), a Italian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and the study of comets.
In the 20th century, the Savoca surname gained international recognition through the work of Italian-American filmmaker and screenwriter Giovanni Savoca (1937-2018), best known for his award-winning films exploring themes of immigration and cultural identity.
While the surname Savoca is relatively rare outside of Italy, it continues to hold a strong connection to its origins in the rocky landscapes of Sicily and Calabria, where it first emerged centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Savoca
Among Census respondents with the surname Savoca, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Savoca 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 Savoca surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 572
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 35
- Two or more races1.1% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Savoca
Savoca 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
#33,990
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 669
+25 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 565 places
2020
#38,482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 619
-50 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 4,492 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #33,425 | 644 | 0.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #33,990 | 669 | 0.23 | +25 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 565 places |
| 2020 | #38,482 | 619 | 0.21 | -50 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 4,492 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 Savoca 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 | #33,990 | #38,482 | -13.2% |
| Count | 669 | 619 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.23 | 0.21 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Savoca bearers went from 669 to 619 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 4,492 positions in the national ranking, going from #33,990 to #38,482.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Savoca
FAQ
Savoca surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Savoca?
Name Census estimates that about 710 living Americans carry the surname Savoca. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 482,753 residents.
How common is Savoca?
Savoca ranks #38,482 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 619 people with the surname Savoca. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (710), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Savoca.
Has Savoca become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Savoca went from 669 recorded bearers to 619. That is a decrease of 50 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #33,990 to #38,482.
What does the Census say about the background of Savoca?
Among Census respondents with the surname Savoca, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (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 Savoca in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (572 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Savoca appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (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 Savoca (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 Savoca mean?
Surname of Italian origin derived from a place name likely referring to a location or town. 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 Savoca (0.21 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 common is the surname Savoca?
If you just want to know how many people are called Savoca, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.