2000
#4,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,304
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.71
Rare Last name
Savoy
A habitational surname derived from the historical region of Savoy in Southeast France, near the Swiss and Italian borders.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,472 Americans carry the last name Savoy. That puts it at #4,652 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,457 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Savoy 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
8.5K
1 in 40,457
Census rank
#4,652
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,388 bearers of the surname Savoy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4652nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Savoy, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.7%. The next largest groups are Black (39.3%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Savoy
The surname Savoy originated in the Savoy region of France, which encompasses parts of modern-day southeastern France, northwestern Italy, and southwestern Switzerland. The name is derived from the Latin word "Sapaudia," which means "land covered with fir trees." The Savoy region was named after the Sapaudian people, who inhabited the area during the Roman era.
The name Savoy first appeared in written records in the 11th century, when the Counts of Savoy ruled over the region. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name is in the Domesday Book, which mentions a landholder named Radulfus de Savoia (Ralph of Savoy) in 1086.
In the 12th century, the House of Savoy emerged as a powerful dynasty in the region. Several members of this family played significant roles in European history, including Humbert III, Count of Savoy (1135-1189), who was a prominent figure during the Crusades, and Amadeus VIII, Count of Savoy (1383-1451), who later became the Antipope Felix V during the Western Schism.
Another notable figure with the Savoy surname was Philibert II, Duke of Savoy (1480-1504), who was known for his military prowess and his role in the Italian Wars. He was succeeded by his brother, Charles III, Duke of Savoy (1486-1553), who expanded the Duchy's territories and played a crucial role in the Reformation.
In the 17th century, Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy (1666-1732), became the first King of Sardinia and played a significant role in the War of the Spanish Succession. His grandson, Victor Amadeus III (1726-1796), was the last King of Sardinia before the House of Savoy became the ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861.
Throughout history, the Savoy surname has been associated with various place names, including Savoy, France; Savoia, Italy; and Savoyen, Germany. The name has also been spelled in various ways, such as Savoye, Savoie, and Savoia, reflecting its linguistic and regional variations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Savoy
Among Census respondents with the surname Savoy, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.7%. The next largest groups are Black (39.3%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Savoy 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 Savoy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.7% · 3,746
- Black or African American39.3% · 2,901
- Two or more races4.9% · 364
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 231
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Savoy
Savoy 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
#4,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,649
+345 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 2.59
Rank movement Down 174 places
2020
#4,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,388
-261 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 2.47
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,464 | 7,304 | 2.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,638 | 7,649 | 2.59 | +345 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 174 places |
| 2020 | #4,652 | 7,388 | 2.47 | -261 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 14 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 Savoy 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 | #4,638 | #4,652 | -0.3% |
| Count | 7,649 | 7,388 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.59 | 2.47 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Savoy bearers went from 7,649 to 7,388 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,638 to #4,652.
FAQ
Savoy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Savoy?
Name Census estimates that about 8,472 living Americans carry the surname Savoy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,457 residents.
How common is Savoy?
Savoy ranks #4,652 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,388 people with the surname Savoy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,472), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Savoy.
Has Savoy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Savoy went from 7,649 recorded bearers to 7,388. That is a decrease of 261 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,638 to #4,652.
What does the Census say about the background of Savoy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Savoy, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.7%. The next largest groups are Black (39.3%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Savoy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.7% (3,746 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Savoy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.7%), Black (39.3%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Savoy (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 Savoy mean?
A habitational surname derived from the historical region of Savoy in Southeast France, near the Swiss and Italian borders. 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 Savoy (2.47 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 Savoy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.