2000
#41,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 492
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Very Rare Last name
Carvey
A surname derived from the occupation of a carver or sculptor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 525 Americans carry the last name Carvey. That puts it at #49,576 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 652,865 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carvey 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Carvey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
525
1 in 652,865
Census rank
#49,576
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
458
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 458 bearers of the surname Carvey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 49576th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carvey, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carvey
The surname Carvey is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is believed to have originated in England during the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "carr," which referred to a rocky hill or outcropping of rocks. The "ey" suffix likely denotes a person who lived near or worked on such a rocky hill or outcrop.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Carvey can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Carueia." This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
During the Middle Ages, the Carvey family is known to have resided in various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire. The name is also closely tied to several place names, such as Carvy Hill in Lancashire and Carvy Brook in Yorkshire.
One notable historical figure with the surname Carvey was Sir William Carvey, a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War during the 14th century. Another prominent individual was John Carvey (1550-1616), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford.
In the 17th century, the Carvey family gained prominence in the village of Carvy, located in the county of Derbyshire. This village is likely named after the family, and several members of the Carvey clan are recorded as residing there during this period.
Other notable individuals with the surname Carvey include:
1. Thomas Carvey (1670-1745), an English architect who designed several churches and public buildings in London.
2. Elizabeth Carvey (1725-1801), a renowned author and poet from Yorkshire.
3. Henry Carvey (1790-1868), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars.
4. Samuel Carvey (1820-1895), an American politician and businessman from Pennsylvania.
5. Mary Carvey (1872-1953), a pioneering female physician and advocate for women's rights in the United States.
While the surname Carvey is not as common today as it once was, it remains an intriguing part of English heritage, with roots stretching back to the early medieval period and a rich history spanning several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carvey
Among Census respondents with the surname Carvey, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Carvey 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 Carvey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.7% · 374
- Black or African American11.4% · 52
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 16
- Two or more races2.0% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carvey
Carvey 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
#53,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 386
-106 bearers (-21.5%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 11,881 places
2020
#49,576
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 458
+72 bearers (+18.7%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 3,962 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #41,657 | 492 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #53,538 | 386 | 0.13 | -106 bearers (-21.5%) | Down 11,881 places |
| 2020 | #49,576 | 458 | 0.15 | +72 bearers (+18.7%) | Up 3,962 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 Carvey 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 | #53,538 | #49,576 | 7.4% |
| Count | 386 | 458 | 18.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.15 | 17.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carvey bearers went from 386 to 458 (+18.7% change). The surname moved up 3,962 positions in the national ranking, going from #53,538 to #49,576.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Carvey
FAQ
Carvey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carvey?
Name Census estimates that about 525 living Americans carry the surname Carvey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 652,865 residents.
How common is Carvey?
Carvey ranks #49,576 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 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 458 people with the surname Carvey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (525), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 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 Carvey.
Has Carvey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carvey went from 386 recorded bearers to 458. That is an increase of 72 (+18.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #53,538 to #49,576.
What does the Census say about the background of Carvey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carvey, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Carvey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.7% (374 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carvey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.7%), Black (11.4%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Carvey (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 Carvey mean?
A surname derived from the occupation of a carver or sculptor. 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 Carvey (0.15 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 have the surname Carvey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.