2000
#5,875
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,396
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.00
Rare Last name
Bivins
A surname of Welsh origin, derived from the given name Evan or Ifan, meaning "God is gracious."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,169 Americans carry the last name Bivins. That puts it at #6,108 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,561 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bivins 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
6.2K
1 in 55,561
Census rank
#6,108
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,380 bearers of the surname Bivins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6108th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bivins, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.3%. The next largest groups are Black (41.2%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bivins
The surname Bivins is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from the Old English words "by" meaning a village or town, and "vinnes" meaning a fertile meadow or pasture. This suggests that the name likely originated from a place referred to as Byvinnes or something similar, indicating that the earliest bearers of this surname hailed from such a location.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Bivins can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from the late 13th century, where it appears as "Roger de Bivenes". This suggests that the name had already been established in England by this time and was likely used to identify someone from a place called Bivenes or a similar variation.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various records with spellings such as "Byvens", "Byvyns", and "Bivins". This variation in spelling was common during this period due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions. One notable bearer of the name from this era was John Bivins, a merchant from London who was mentioned in records from the 1570s.
During the 17th century, the name Bivins continued to be found in various parts of England. One example is William Bivins, who was born in Oxfordshire in 1623 and served as a member of the local militia during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, the Bivins surname spread to other parts of the British Isles, including Scotland and Ireland. One notable individual from this period was Robert Bivins, a Scottish soldier who fought in the Battle of Culloden in 1746.
As the British Empire expanded in the 19th century, the name Bivins began to appear in various colonies and territories. One example is James Bivins, an English settler who emigrated to Australia in the 1830s and became a successful farmer in the colony of New South Wales.
Throughout its history, the Bivins surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, including merchants, farmers, soldiers, and tradesmen. While not necessarily a prominent or noble name, it has been carried by individuals across various social strata and has contributed to the rich tapestry of English and British history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bivins
Among Census respondents with the surname Bivins, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.3%. The next largest groups are Black (41.2%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bivins 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 Bivins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.3% · 2,653
- Black or African American41.2% · 2,218
- Two or more races4.9% · 264
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 172
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bivins
Bivins 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
#6,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,681
+285 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.93
Rank movement Down 170 places
2020
#6,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,380
-301 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.80
Rank movement Down 63 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,875 | 5,396 | 2.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,045 | 5,681 | 1.93 | +285 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 170 places |
| 2020 | #6,108 | 5,380 | 1.80 | -301 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 63 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 Bivins 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 | #6,045 | #6,108 | -1.0% |
| Count | 5,681 | 5,380 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.93 | 1.80 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bivins bearers went from 5,681 to 5,380 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 63 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,045 to #6,108.
FAQ
Bivins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bivins?
Name Census estimates that about 6,169 living Americans carry the surname Bivins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,561 residents.
How common is Bivins?
Bivins ranks #6,108 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,380 people with the surname Bivins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,169), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bivins.
Has Bivins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bivins went from 5,681 recorded bearers to 5,380. That is a decrease of 301 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,045 to #6,108.
What does the Census say about the background of Bivins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bivins, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.3%. The next largest groups are Black (41.2%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Bivins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.3% (2,653 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bivins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.3%), Black (41.2%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Bivins (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 Bivins mean?
A surname of Welsh origin, derived from the given name Evan or Ifan, meaning "God is gracious." 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 Bivins (1.80 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 common is the surname Bivins?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Bivins, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.