2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Survant
A surname originating from the French word "servant" meaning servant or attendant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Survant. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Survant 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Survant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Survant, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Survant
The surname SURVANT has its origins in France, tracing back to the late medieval period. It likely emerged as a variation of the French word 'survenant', which translates to 'newcomer' or 'newcomer to a place'. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely immigrants or newcomers to a particular region or settlement.
The name is thought to have first appeared in written records in the 13th century, with early spellings including 'Survenant', 'Survenent', and 'Survenante'. One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the 1292 tax rolls of the French province of Normandy, where a certain 'Jehan Survenent' is listed as a landowner.
In the 14th century, the name SURVANT began to surface in various parts of northern France, particularly in the regions of Picardy and Champagne. It is possible that some bearers of the name may have been associated with the influx of immigrants and settlers during the repopulation efforts following the devastation of the Hundred Years' War.
One notable historical figure bearing this surname was Etienne SURVANT, a French soldier and minor nobleman who fought alongside Joan of Arc during the Siege of Orléans in 1429. He was later awarded lands in the region of Champagne for his service.
In the 16th century, the SURVANT name appeared in the parish records of the village of Armentières, near the French-Belgian border. A certain Jacques SURVANT, born in 1567, was recorded as a prominent merchant and landowner in the area.
Another individual of note was Marie SURVANT, a French author and poet from the 17th century. Born in 1621 in the city of Rouen, she published several works of poetry and prose that gained recognition among literary circles of the time.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the SURVANT surname continued to be present in various regions of France, with bearers of the name often engaged in professions such as farming, artisanry, and commerce. Some notable figures from this period include Émile SURVANT (1785-1856), a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist from the city of Lyon, and Marguerite SURVANT (1828-1902), a renowned educator and advocate for women's education in Paris.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Survant
Among Census respondents with the surname Survant, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Survant 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 Survant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 101
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Survant
Survant 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,954 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-17 bearers (-13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,046 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 9,954 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.7%) | Down 16,046 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 Survant 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 | #135,593 | #151,639 | -11.8% |
| Count | 124 | 107 | -13.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Survant bearers went from 124 to 107 (-13.7% change). The surname moved down 16,046 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #151,639.
FAQ
Survant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Survant?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Survant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Survant?
Survant ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Survant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Survant.
Has Survant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Survant went from 124 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 17 (-13.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Survant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Survant, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Survant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Survant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%), Black (0.9%). 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 Survant (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 Survant mean?
A surname originating from the French word "servant" meaning servant or attendant. 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 Survant (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 are called Survant?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Survant, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.