2000
#3,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,562
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.17
Rare Last name
Conover
Derived from a place name meaning "pine tree over a bank" in Old English, likely referring to a nearby landmark.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,675 Americans carry the last name Conover. That puts it at #4,081 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,427 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Conover 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
9.7K
1 in 35,427
Census rank
#4,081
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,437 bearers of the surname Conover in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4081st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Conover, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Conover
The surname Conover is of Dutch origin, originating from the Netherlands in the 17th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch words "konyn" meaning rabbit, and "hof" meaning court or garden, possibly referring to a place where rabbits were kept or raised.
The earliest recorded mention of the surname Conover can be found in the Dutch Reformed Church records of New Netherland (present-day New York) in the mid-17th century. This suggests that the name was brought to the Americas by Dutch settlers during the colonial era.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Wolphert Gerritsen van Couwenhoven, a Dutch immigrant who arrived in New Netherland in 1636. His surname was later anglicized to Conover.
In the 19th century, the surname Conover began to appear in various parts of the United States, particularly in areas with a strong Dutch heritage, such as New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Some notable individuals with the surname include:
1. George S. Conover (1819-1905), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Florida.
2. Simon Barclay Conover (1840-1908), an American businessman and banker from New York.
3. Frank Conover (1865-1951), an American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Phillies in the late 19th century.
4. Harriette Conover (1787-1875), an American writer and poet from New Jersey.
5. Tasha Conover Stuart (1885-1958), an American artist and illustrator known for her illustrations in children's books.
While the name has Dutch origins, it has since been adopted by families of various backgrounds and nationalities, particularly in North America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Conover
Among Census respondents with the surname Conover, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Conover 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 Conover surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.3% · 7,277
- Black or African American5.7% · 482
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 288
- Two or more races3.1% · 265
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 72
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 53
Timeline
Historical Census data for Conover
Conover 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
#4,063
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,738
+176 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 2.96
Rank movement Down 258 places
2020
#4,081
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,437
-301 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 2.82
Rank movement Down 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,805 | 8,562 | 3.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,063 | 8,738 | 2.96 | +176 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 258 places |
| 2020 | #4,081 | 8,437 | 2.82 | -301 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 18 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 Conover 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 | #4,063 | #4,081 | -0.4% |
| Count | 8,738 | 8,437 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.96 | 2.82 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Conover bearers went from 8,738 to 8,437 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,063 to #4,081.
FAQ
Conover surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Conover?
Name Census estimates that about 9,675 living Americans carry the surname Conover. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,427 residents.
How common is Conover?
Conover ranks #4,081 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,437 people with the surname Conover. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,675), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Conover.
Has Conover become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Conover went from 8,738 recorded bearers to 8,437. That is a decrease of 301 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,063 to #4,081.
What does the Census say about the background of Conover?
Among Census respondents with the surname Conover, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Conover in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.3% (7,277 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Conover appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.3%), Black (5.7%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Conover (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 Conover mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "pine tree over a bank" in Old English, likely referring to a nearby landmark. 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 Conover (2.82 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 Conover?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.