2000
#8,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,358
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.24
Rare Last name
Caviness
A habitational surname derived from a place in Scotland, likely referring to a hollow or cave-like feature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,566 Americans carry the last name Caviness. That puts it at #9,905 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,117 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caviness 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
3.6K
1 in 96,117
Census rank
#9,905
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,110 bearers of the surname Caviness in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9905th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caviness, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caviness
The surname Caviness is believed to have originated in England, with records indicating its presence as early as the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "caue," meaning a cave or cavern, and may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked in a cave.
One of the earliest known references to the name Caviness can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1176, where a person named William Caviness is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use during the medieval period.
By the 13th century, variations of the name, such as Cavenesse and Cavynesse, began to appear in various records across England. These variations likely stemmed from the different regional dialects and spellings used at the time.
In the 14th century, the name Caviness was associated with several notable individuals. One such person was John Caviness, a merchant from Yorkshire, who was mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334. Another was Thomas Caviness, a landowner from Lincolnshire, whose name appears in the Court Rolls of 1375.
During the 15th century, the Caviness surname became more widespread throughout England. In 1456, a Richard Caviness was recorded as a freeman in the city of York. Around the same time, a family by the name of Caviness owned lands in the village of Cavendish, Suffolk, which may have influenced the spelling of their surname.
One of the most prominent individuals with the Caviness surname was Sir William Caviness, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was a respected military officer and served as the Governor of the Isle of Man from 1610 to 1616.
Another notable figure was John Caviness, born in 1642 in Lincolnshire, who became a successful merchant and served as the Mayor of Boston in 1689. His son, also named John Caviness (1675-1738), was a prominent lawyer and Member of Parliament for Boston.
In the 18th century, the Caviness family continued to establish themselves in various parts of England. One example is William Caviness (1712-1788), a wealthy landowner from Gloucestershire, who played a significant role in the local community.
As the surname spread throughout the centuries, it also found its way to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caviness
Among Census respondents with the surname Caviness, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Caviness 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 Caviness surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.7% · 2,355
- Black or African American14.7% · 457
- Two or more races4.2% · 130
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 117
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caviness
Caviness 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
+98 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 453 places
2020
#9,905
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,110
-346 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 498 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,954 | 3,358 | 1.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,407 | 3,456 | 1.17 | +98 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 453 places |
| 2020 | #9,905 | 3,110 | 1.04 | -346 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 498 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 Caviness 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 | #9,905 | -5.3% |
| Count | 3,456 | 3,110 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.04 | -11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caviness bearers went from 3,456 to 3,110 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 498 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,407 to #9,905.
FAQ
Caviness surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caviness?
Name Census estimates that about 3,566 living Americans carry the surname Caviness. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,117 residents.
How common is Caviness?
Caviness ranks #9,905 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 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 3,110 people with the surname Caviness. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,566), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 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 Caviness.
Has Caviness become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caviness went from 3,456 recorded bearers to 3,110. That is a decrease of 346 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,407 to #9,905.
What does the Census say about the background of Caviness?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caviness, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Caviness in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.7% (2,355 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caviness appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.7%), Black (14.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Caviness (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 Caviness mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place in Scotland, likely referring to a hollow or cave-like feature. 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 Caviness (1.04 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 Caviness?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.