2000
#109,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 149
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Aver
A variant spelling of the English surname Aver, derived from an Old English word meaning 'to look about'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Aver. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aver 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Aver in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aver, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aver
The surname "AVER" is believed to have originated in the French region of Brittany during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Breton word "aver," which meant "river" or "stream." This suggests that the name was initially given to individuals who lived near a river or worked in a river-related occupation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "AVER" can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Redon, a collection of medieval charters from the Abbey of Redon in Brittany, dated around the 11th century. Several individuals with variations of the name, such as "Averius" and "Averius de Riveria," are mentioned in these documents.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Guillaume Aver was a prominent merchant and landowner in Brittany. He is mentioned in several local records and deeds from that period, indicating the surname's prevalence in the region.
During the 14th century, the surname "AVER" began to spread beyond Brittany as a result of migration and trade. In England, for instance, a man named John Aver was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Jean Aver, a French soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War. He served under the command of Joan of Arc and participated in the famous Battle of Orléans in 1429.
In the 16th century, a French explorer named Jacques Aver accompanied Jacques Cartier on his expeditions to the New World. He is credited with helping to establish the first French settlement in what is now Canada.
Over time, the surname "AVER" evolved into various spelling variations, including "Avers," "Avere," and "Aviers." These variations can be found in historical records across Europe, particularly in France, Britain, and other parts of the British Isles.
Other notable individuals with the surname "AVER" include Michel Aver, a 17th-century French poet and writer, and Antoine Aver, a prominent French architect who designed several churches and buildings in Paris during the 18th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aver
Among Census respondents with the surname Aver, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Aver 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 Aver surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 7
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aver
Aver 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
-16 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 18,334 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-25 bearers (-18.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,686 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #109,915 | 149 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | -16 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 18,334 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -25 bearers (-18.8%) | Down 22,686 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 Aver 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 | #128,249 | #150,935 | -17.7% |
| Count | 133 | 108 | -18.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -27.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aver bearers went from 133 to 108 (-18.8% change). The surname moved down 22,686 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #150,935.
FAQ
Aver surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aver?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Aver. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Aver?
Aver ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 108 people with the surname Aver. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Aver.
Has Aver become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aver went from 133 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 25 (-18.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Aver?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aver, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Aver in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aver appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (6.5%), Black (0.9%). 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 Aver (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 Aver mean?
A variant spelling of the English surname Aver, derived from an Old English word meaning 'to look about'. 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 Aver (0.04 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 Aver?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.