2000
#8,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,438
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.27
Rare Last name
Alverson
An English occupational surname referring to a keeper of elves or supernatural beings.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,780 Americans carry the last name Alverson. That puts it at #9,444 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,676 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alverson 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
3.8K
1 in 90,676
Census rank
#9,444
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,296 bearers of the surname Alverson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9444th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alverson, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alverson
The surname Alverson is of Swedish origin, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Old Norse name "Alfarr," which means "elf" or "otherworldly being." The name was likely given to someone who was considered to have an otherworldly or supernatural quality about them.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Alverson can be found in the Swedish church records from the late 16th century. The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Västergötland and Småland, where many families bore this surname.
In the 17th century, the Alverson name appears in various historical documents, such as tax records and property deeds. One notable mention is in the court records of Göteborg, where an Olof Alverson was listed as a merchant in the year 1642.
As the Swedes began to establish colonies in the New World, the Alverson name traveled across the Atlantic. In the late 17th century, records show that a family by the name of Alverson settled in the colony of New Sweden, which later became part of Pennsylvania.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Alverson name in North America was Johan Alverson, who was born in 1675 in the town of Älvdalen, Sweden. He later immigrated to the Swedish colony of New Sweden and became a prominent landowner and farmer.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Alverson name continued to spread across Europe and North America. Notable individuals with this surname include:
1. Carl Alverson (1798-1872), a Swedish-American poet and writer who published several works celebrating the natural beauty of the American wilderness.
2. Ida Alverson (1858-1935), a Norwegian-American educator and advocate for women's rights, known for establishing several schools in rural Minnesota.
3. Gunnar Alverson (1889-1967), a Swedish engineer and inventor who held numerous patents for innovative technologies in the fields of aviation and automotive design.
4. Eliza Alverson (1912-2001), an American artist celebrated for her vibrant landscape paintings depicting the rugged beauty of the Rocky Mountains.
5. Erik Alverson (1932-2018), a Swedish-American businessman and philanthropist, who founded the Alverson Foundation to support education and environmental conservation efforts.
While the Alverson name may have originated from humble beginnings, it has since been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, from literature and education to engineering and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alverson
Among Census respondents with the surname Alverson, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Alverson 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 Alverson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 2,818
- Black or African American5.2% · 171
- Two or more races4.8% · 159
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alverson
Alverson 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
#9,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,456
+18 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 625 places
2020
#9,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,296
-160 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,782 | 3,438 | 1.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,407 | 3,456 | 1.17 | +18 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 625 places |
| 2020 | #9,444 | 3,296 | 1.10 | -160 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 37 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 Alverson 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 | #9,407 | #9,444 | -0.4% |
| Count | 3,456 | 3,296 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.10 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alverson bearers went from 3,456 to 3,296 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,407 to #9,444.
FAQ
Alverson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alverson?
Name Census estimates that about 3,780 living Americans carry the surname Alverson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,676 residents.
How common is Alverson?
Alverson ranks #9,444 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 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 3,296 people with the surname Alverson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,780), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 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 Alverson.
Has Alverson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alverson went from 3,456 recorded bearers to 3,296. That is a decrease of 160 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,407 to #9,444.
What does the Census say about the background of Alverson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alverson, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Alverson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (2,818 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alverson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Black (5.2%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Alverson (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 Alverson mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a keeper of elves or supernatural beings. 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 Alverson (1.10 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 share the surname Alverson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.