2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Souvanna
A Lao surname meaning "prosperous" or "flourishing".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Souvanna. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Souvanna 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Souvanna in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Souvanna, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and White (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Souvanna
The surname SOUVANNA is of Lao origin and is believed to have originated in the 16th century during the reign of the Lan Xang Kingdom in present-day Laos. The name is derived from the Lao word "souvanna," which translates to "gold" or "golden."
In ancient Lao traditions, surnames often reflected a person's occupation, social status, or physical characteristics. It is possible that the SOUVANNA surname was initially bestowed upon individuals who worked with gold or had a golden complexion.
One of the earliest recorded references to the SOUVANNA name can be found in the annals of the Lan Xang Kingdom, where it is mentioned in connection with the ruling elite and nobility. However, specific individuals bearing this surname during that era remain largely undocumented.
In the 19th century, Prince Souvanna Phouma (1901-1984) was a prominent figure in Lao politics and served as the prime minister of the Kingdom of Laos multiple times. He played a crucial role in the country's struggle for independence from French colonial rule.
Another notable individual with the SOUVANNA surname was Souvanna Khamsing (1925-2010), a Lao diplomat and politician who served as the prime minister of Laos in the 1960s. He was instrumental in navigating the complex political landscape during the Laotian Civil War.
Souvanna Vongsa (1933-2019) was a Lao politician and diplomat who held various positions in the Lao government, including serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the 1970s.
In the realm of literature, Souvanna Phouma (1912-1984), a Lao author and poet, is known for his contributions to the preservation and promotion of Lao literature and culture.
Lastly, Souvanna Phinith (born 1953) is a Lao politician who has held several ministerial positions in the Lao government, including serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2016 to 2020.
While the SOUVANNA surname has its roots in ancient Laos, it continues to be prevalent in modern-day Laos and among the Lao diaspora around the world, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and history associated with this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Souvanna
Among Census respondents with the surname Souvanna, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and White (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Souvanna 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 Souvanna surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander89.0% · 89
- Two or more races6.0% · 6
- White4.0% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Souvanna
Souvanna 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
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-7 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,054 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 3,054 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 Souvanna 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 | #152,628 | #155,682 | -2.0% |
| Count | 107 | 100 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Souvanna bearers went from 107 to 100 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 3,054 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #155,682.
FAQ
Souvanna surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Souvanna?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Souvanna. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Souvanna?
Souvanna ranks #155,682 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 100 people with the surname Souvanna. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), 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 Souvanna.
Has Souvanna become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Souvanna went from 107 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Souvanna?
Among Census respondents with the surname Souvanna, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and White (4.0%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Souvanna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Souvanna appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (89.0%), Two or More Races (6.0%), White (4.0%). 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 Souvanna (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 Souvanna mean?
A Lao surname meaning "prosperous" or "flourishing". 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 Souvanna (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 Souvanna?
Want to know how many people have the last name Souvanna? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.