2000
#16,293
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,628
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.60
Rare Last name
Sarvis
Originating from the word "Service", a surname indicating occupational or religious servitude.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,721 Americans carry the last name Sarvis. That puts it at #18,266 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 199,160 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sarvis 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
1.7K
1 in 199,160
Census rank
#18,266
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,501 bearers of the surname Sarvis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18266th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sarvis, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.3%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sarvis
The surname Sarvis is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "searu" meaning "armor" or "weapon" and "wis" meaning "wise" or "skilled." The name may have initially been used as a descriptive nickname for someone who was skilled in the art of weaponry or warfare.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Sarvis can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a Robert Sarvis residing in Oxfordshire. The Sarvis name also appears in the Poll Tax records of Yorkshire from 1379, suggesting the name had spread to various regions of England by that time.
In the 16th century, the Sarvis surname was particularly concentrated in the counties of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. During this period, a notable figure bearing the name was William Sarvis (1520-1588), a wealthy landowner and merchant from Grantham, Lincolnshire.
The Sarvis surname has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Sarvis Manor in Leicestershire and Sarvis Hill in Northamptonshire. These locations may have influenced the development and spread of the surname in those areas.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Sarvis surname. One such figure was John Sarvis (1662-1724), a prominent Puritan minister and author from Massachusetts Bay Colony in the early American colonies. Another was Sir Edward Sarvis (1777-1853), a British naval officer who played a significant role in the Napoleonic Wars.
Other notable individuals with the Sarvis surname include:
- Robert Sarvis (1810-1892), an English inventor and engineer best known for his contributions to the development of the steam engine.
- Elizabeth Sarvis (1845-1918), an American suffragist and advocate for women's rights in the late 19th century.
- James Sarvis (1892-1964), a renowned Australian painter and art educator known for his landscape and portrait works.
While the Sarvis surname has its roots in medieval England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and other English-speaking regions, reflecting the historical migrations and diasporas of individuals bearing this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sarvis
Among Census respondents with the surname Sarvis, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.3%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sarvis 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 Sarvis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.5% · 1,164
- Black or African American13.3% · 200
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 70
- Two or more races3.5% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sarvis
Sarvis 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
#15,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,819
+191 bearers (+11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 329 places
2020
#18,266
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,501
-318 bearers (-17.5%)
Per 100,000 0.50
Rank movement Down 2,302 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,293 | 1,628 | 0.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,964 | 1,819 | 0.62 | +191 bearers (+11.7%) | Up 329 places |
| 2020 | #18,266 | 1,501 | 0.50 | -318 bearers (-17.5%) | Down 2,302 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 Sarvis 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 | #15,964 | #18,266 | -14.4% |
| Count | 1,819 | 1,501 | -17.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.50 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sarvis bearers went from 1,819 to 1,501 (-17.5% change). The surname moved down 2,302 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,964 to #18,266.
FAQ
Sarvis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sarvis?
Name Census estimates that about 1,721 living Americans carry the surname Sarvis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 199,160 residents.
How common is Sarvis?
Sarvis ranks #18,266 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,501 people with the surname Sarvis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,721), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sarvis.
Has Sarvis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sarvis went from 1,819 recorded bearers to 1,501. That is a decrease of 318 (-17.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,964 to #18,266.
What does the Census say about the background of Sarvis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sarvis, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.3%) and Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Sarvis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.5% (1,164 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sarvis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.5%), Black (13.3%), Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Sarvis (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 Sarvis mean?
Originating from the word "Service", a surname indicating occupational or religious servitude. 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 Sarvis (0.50 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 have the surname Sarvis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.