2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sawi
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "silk" or "silk merchant".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Sawi. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sawi 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Sawi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sawi, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (27.8%) and Two or More Races (10.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sawi
The surname "Sawi" is believed to have originated in the Middle East, specifically in the region of modern-day Iran and Iraq. It likely emerged during the medieval period, around the 7th to 10th centuries.
The name "Sawi" is thought to be derived from the Arabic word "sawa," which means "equal" or "level." This suggests that the surname may have initially referred to someone who lived on a flat or level area, or someone who was known for their fair and equitable nature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Sawi" dates back to the 11th century, when it appeared in a manuscript detailing the travels of a Persian scholar named Ahmad ibn Fadlan. In his writings, ibn Fadlan mentioned encountering a group of people referred to as the "Sawi" during his travels through the region of modern-day Russia.
In the 13th century, the name "Sawi" was also found in the chronicles of the Mamluk Dynasty, which ruled over Egypt, Syria, and parts of the Levant. These records mention a prominent military commander named Baibars al-Sawi, who played a significant role in the Mamluk conquest of the Crusader states in the Holy Land.
Another notable figure with the surname "Sawi" was the 14th-century Persian poet and scholar, Kamal al-Din al-Sawi. He was renowned for his contributions to the field of Islamic jurisprudence and his collection of poetic works, which have been preserved and studied by scholars over the centuries.
During the Ottoman period, the surname "Sawi" was also present in various regions of the empire. One notable individual was Mustafa Sawi, a 17th-century Ottoman architect who designed several significant buildings in Istanbul, including the Yeni Mosque and the Yeni Valide Mosque.
In the 19th century, the surname "Sawi" appeared in records from the region of modern-day Iraq, where it was associated with several prominent families and individuals. One such figure was Abdul-Karim al-Sawi, a renowned Islamic scholar and theologian who lived in the city of Najaf and authored several influential works on Islamic jurisprudence.
Over the centuries, the surname "Sawi" has also been found in various spellings and variations, such as "Savi," "Savvi," and "Sawy," reflecting the diversity of languages and dialects in the regions where it originated and spread.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sawi
Among Census respondents with the surname Sawi, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (27.8%) and Two or More Races (10.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sawi 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 Sawi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American45.2% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander27.8% · 32
- Two or more races10.4% · 12
- White7.8% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sawi
Sawi appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+9 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,012 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.5%) | Up 8,012 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 Sawi 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 | #153,769 | #145,757 | 5.2% |
| Count | 106 | 115 | 8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sawi bearers went from 106 to 115 (+8.5% change). The surname moved up 8,012 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #145,757.
FAQ
Sawi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sawi?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Sawi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Sawi?
Sawi ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Sawi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Sawi.
Has Sawi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sawi went from 106 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 9 (+8.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Sawi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sawi, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (27.8%) and Two or More Races (10.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sawi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.2% (52 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sawi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (45.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (27.8%), Two or More Races (10.4%). 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 Sawi (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 Sawi mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "silk" or "silk merchant". 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 Sawi (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 Sawi?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.