Explore the Family Name Selvage

The meaning of Selvage

English: 1. variant of Selvidge. 2. variant of Savage.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Selvage in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Selvage saw a slight increase in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Selvage was ranked as the 22,809th most popular surname, and by 2010 it had moved up to the 22,592nd position, which indicates an increase of nearly 1%. The number of individuals with this surname also grew during this period, rising from 1,049 in 2000 to 1,137 in 2010, marking an increase of 8.39%. However, when viewed in proportion to the total U.S. population, the prevalence of the Selvage surname remained steady at 0.39 per 100,000 people.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#22,809	#22,592	0.95%
Count	1,049	1,137	8.39%
Proportion per 100k	0.39	0.39	0%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Selvage

When considering the ethnic identity among those bearing the surname Selvage, data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals some shifts between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of individuals identifying as White decreased slightly from 82.84% to 81%, while the percentage identifying as Black or African American rose from 13.44% to 15.13%. Those claiming heritage as American Indian or Alaskan Native saw a minor increase from 1.14% to 1.23%. The proportion of Selvages noting two or more races increased by almost 24%, climbing from 1.14% to 1.41%. However, the data did not record any individuals with this surname identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or Hispanic in 2010, despite small percentages having done so in 2000.

	2000	2010	Change
White	82.84%	81%	-2.22%
Black	13.44%	15.13%	12.57%
Two or More Races	1.14%	1.41%	23.68%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	1.14%	1.23%	7.89%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.57%	0%	0%
Hispanic	0.86%	0%	0%