Evans Last Name Popularity, Meaning and Origin

In this article we'll look at the origin and meaning of the surname Evans and how popular it is in the United States. We'll also look at the race and ethnic origin of people in the United States who are named Evans.

Evans, like all of the names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Evans surname is from the 2010 census data.

Unlocking Your Past (On Sale!)

Discover the untold stories of your family and feel the heartwarming connection to your ancestors.

My new eBook is a comprehensive guide to family history research that helps you turn the complex task of tracing your family tree into a manageable and rewarding journey.

Experience the joy of piecing together the puzzle using historical records, online tools, and DNA research and the pride of preserving these stories for future generations of your family!

Buy Now (50% Discount) →

What is the Origin and Meaning of the Last Name Evans?

The surname of Evans is a patronymic version of the Welsh given name Evan. With the addition of the “s” suffix at the end of Evan, the new meaning becomes “son of Evan.” It was during the 15^th century change to individualized taxation that it became necessary in Wales for people to have a family name as well as a given name.

It quickly became apparent that using the concept of “son of” was the best way to achieve this new type of name. The male children would take on their father's given name with the addition of the “s” and this name would be passed on by marriage and descent thereafter.

The name Evan from which Evans derives itself comes from the Welsh name Ifan. (It is important to note that in the Welsh language the letter “f” is pronounced as a “v.”) The name Ifan happens to be the Welsh version of the common given name John.

John itself is of Hebrew origin from the word Yohanan which translates as “God is Gracious.” Therefore Evan holds this same meaning. The name would have been popular among the early Christian priests but likely spread to common use following the Crusades.

In 1533 John Yevans is recorded in the records for Monmouthshire, Wales. This is likely the first time a version of the Evans name was recorded in writing. According to naming practice, this individual would be known as John, son of Evan.

Where Does Evans Rank in the Most Common U.S. Names?

According to the data, Evans is ranked #53 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

The Evans surname appeared 355,593 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 120.55 would have the surname Evans.

We can also compare 2010 data for Evans to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

Race and Ethnic Origin of People with the Last Name Evans

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Evans.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups: "White only", "Black only", "American Indian and Alaskan Native only", "Asian and Pacific Islander only", "Two or More Races", and "Hispanic".

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Evans was:

• 68.39%, or 243,190 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic White Only".
• 25.72%, or 91,459 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic Black Only".
• 0.47%, or 1,671 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only".
• 0.74%, or 2,631 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native".
• 2.30%, or 8,179 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races".
• 2.39%, or 8,499 total occurrences, were "Hispanic Origin".

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Evans has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data Source(s)

All of the data on this page is sourced from the Decennial Census survey, from the United States Census Bureau.

Link To or Reference This Page

We spent a lot of time downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!