2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Convers
A surname derived from the Old French word "convers," meaning a lay member of a monastic order.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Convers. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Convers 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Convers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Convers, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 59.6%. The next largest groups are White (38.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Convers
The surname Convers has French origins and dates back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "convers," which referred to a lay brother in a monastery or a person who had converted to Christianity. This name likely originated in northern France, particularly in Normandy and surrounding regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Convers name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive land survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Radulfus Convers in Gloucestershire, England, indicating that individuals bearing this surname had already migrated to England by the late 11th century.
In the 12th century, records show a Petrus Convers holding lands in Burgundy, France. Around the same time, a Richard Convers was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire, England, suggesting the continued spread of the name across the English Channel.
During the 13th century, a notable figure named Piers Convers (c. 1215-1285) served as the Sheriff of Gloucestershire and was involved in various legal disputes over land ownership. His descendants continued to hold prominence in the region for several generations.
In the 14th century, a monk named John Convers (c. 1325-1390) gained recognition for his scholarly work at the Benedictine monastery in Canterbury. He is credited with several philosophical and theological treatises that were influential during his time.
Another individual of note was Sir Thomas Convers (c. 1450-1522), a English knight and landowner from Yorkshire. He served in the Tudor court under Henry VII and Henry VIII and played a role in the War of the Roses.
Over the centuries, variations of the Convers name emerged, including Converse, Conversi, and Converts. These spellings can be found in various historical records across Europe, particularly in France, England, and Italy, reflecting the spread and adaptation of the name in different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Convers
Among Census respondents with the surname Convers, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 59.6%. The next largest groups are White (38.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Convers 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 Convers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino59.6% · 62
- White38.5% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Convers
Convers 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+14 bearers (+13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,095 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-12 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,441 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.7%) | Up 5,095 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 10,441 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 Convers 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 | #143,149 | #153,590 | -7.3% |
| Count | 116 | 104 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Convers bearers went from 116 to 104 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 10,441 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #153,590.
FAQ
Convers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Convers?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Convers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Convers?
Convers ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Convers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Convers.
Has Convers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Convers went from 116 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Convers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Convers, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 59.6%. The next largest groups are White (38.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Convers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.6% (62 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Convers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (59.6%), White (38.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Convers (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 Convers mean?
A surname derived from the Old French word "convers," meaning a lay member of a monastic order. 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 Convers (0.03 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 Convers?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.