2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sawko
A Polish surname possibly derived from the word "sowa" meaning owl.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Sawko. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sawko 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Sawko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sawko, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sawko
The surname "SAWKO" is of Eastern European origin, believed to have originated in Poland or Ukraine in the late medieval period, sometime between the 14th and 16th centuries. It is derived from the Slavic word "sawka," which means "woodpecker." This suggests that the name may have originally been a nickname or descriptive name given to someone who lived near a wooded area or who had a particular skill or occupation related to woodpeckers or woodworking.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "SAWKO" can be found in the Metryka Koronna, a collection of records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth dating back to the late 15th century. In these records, a man named Jan Sawko is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Krosno, located in what is now southeastern Poland.
Another notable historical reference to the name "SAWKO" comes from the 17th century, when a Ukrainian Cossack named Semen Sawko played a significant role in the Khmelnytsky Uprising against Polish rule. Sawko was a respected military leader and is mentioned in several contemporary accounts of the uprising, which took place between 1648 and 1654.
In the 18th century, a Polish nobleman named Józef Sawko was a prominent figure in the city of Lviv (now in Ukraine). He was a wealthy landowner and philanthropist who helped fund the construction of several churches and educational institutions in the region.
Moving into the 19th century, a Ukrainian writer and political activist named Hryhoriy Sawko (1824-1887) played an important role in the Ukrainian national awakening movement. He wrote numerous poems and essays advocating for Ukrainian independence and cultural preservation.
Finally, in the early 20th century, a Polish-born American musician named Walter Sawko (1899-1982) gained recognition as a virtuoso pianist and composer. He performed extensively throughout Europe and the United States and composed several works for piano and orchestra.
While the name "SAWKO" has roots in Eastern Europe, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage. However, its early history and origins can be traced back to the Slavic lands of Poland and Ukraine, where it was originally a descriptive name reflecting the region's woodland landscapes and the occupations of its early bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sawko
Among Census respondents with the surname Sawko, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sawko 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 Sawko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 90
- Two or more races5.0% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sawko
Sawko 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
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-4 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 363 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 363 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 Sawko 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 | #154,907 | #155,270 | -0.2% |
| Count | 105 | 101 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sawko bearers went from 105 to 101 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 363 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #155,270.
FAQ
Sawko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sawko?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Sawko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Sawko?
Sawko ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Sawko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Sawko.
Has Sawko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sawko went from 105 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #154,907 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Sawko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sawko, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Sawko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sawko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Sawko (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 Sawko mean?
A Polish surname possibly derived from the word "sowa" meaning owl. 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 Sawko (0.03 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 Sawko?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Sawko at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.