Find out how popular the last name Alvis is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Alvis.

Alvis, like all of the last 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 Alvis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Alvis in America

Alvis is the 8404th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Alvis surname appeared 3,936 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Alvis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Alvis 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.

The history of the last name Alvis

The surname Alvis has its origins in England, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English given name "Alfwine," which is a combination of the elements "ælf" meaning "elf" and "wine" meaning "friend."

The surname Alvis was first found in Northamptonshire, where the family held a seat from ancient times. One of the earliest recorded bearers was William Alwyne, who was documented in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279.

In the 14th century, the Alvis surname appeared in various forms, including Alvys, Alveys, and Alwys, reflecting the variations in spelling common during that time. The name is also found in several early records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327, where a Thomas Alwys is mentioned.

The Alvis family continued to thrive in various parts of England, with notable bearers including John Alvis, who was born in 1587 in Taunton, Somerset, and Sir John Alvis, a prominent merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London during the 17th century.

Another notable individual with the Alvis surname was Thomas Alvis, a philosopher and theologian born in 1621 in Leicestershire. He was educated at Oxford University and later became a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge.

In the 18th century, the Alvis family had established themselves in various parts of England, with records showing bearers in counties such as Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire. One notable figure from this period was William Alvis, a writer and poet born in 1745 in Somerset.

The 19th century saw the rise of the Alvis automobile company, founded by Thomas George John Alvis in 1919 in Coventry, England. The company gained renown for producing high-quality sports cars and luxury vehicles until its closure in the 1960s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Alvis

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

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:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

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

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 Alvis has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Alvis was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Alvis, please contact us.

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