2000
#115,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Convis
A surname potentially derived from a French town or location name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Convis. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Convis 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Convis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Convis, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Convis
The surname CONVIS is believed to have originated in the region of Normandy in northern France during the 11th century. It is derived from the Old French word "convis," which means "knowledge" or "wisdom." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname or descriptive term to someone who was considered knowledgeable or wise.
The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 12th century, where it appears in the Cartulary of Saint-Père de Chartres, a medieval manuscript containing records of the Saint-Père Abbey in Chartres, France. In this document, a man named Radulfus Convis is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in the year 1174.
During the Middle Ages, the name Convis also appeared in various other historical documents and records, such as the Exchequer Rolls of Normandy from the 13th century and the Hundred Rolls of England from the late 13th century. These records often provide insights into the geographic distribution and variations in spelling of the name during that time period.
One notable individual with the surname Convis was Jean Convis, a French scholar and theologian who lived in the 15th century. He was born in Normandy around 1420 and later became a professor at the University of Paris, where he wrote several influential works on theology and philosophy.
Another notable figure was Guillaume Convis, a French military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War during the 15th century. He was born in Normandy around 1390 and served under the leadership of Joan of Arc, playing a significant role in the siege of Orléans and other important battles.
In the 16th century, the name Convis can be found in records from various parts of France, including Normandy, Brittany, and Île-de-France. One example is Nicolas Convis, a French merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Rouen in the early 1500s.
The name Convis also spread to other parts of Europe, particularly to England and Scotland, where it likely arrived through Norman settlers and medieval migrations. One example is Robert Convis, an English landowner who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines records for Yorkshire in the year 1384.
In the 17th century, the name Convis can be found in various historical records from different regions, such as parish registers, tax records, and court documents. One notable individual from this period was Pierre Convis, a French philosopher and writer who lived in Paris during the 1600s and wrote several treatises on ethics and moral philosophy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Convis
Among Census respondents with the surname Convis, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Convis 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 Convis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.8% · 113
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Convis
Convis 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
-4 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 10,529 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-18 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,493 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #115,489 | 140 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | -4 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 10,529 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 17,493 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 Convis 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 | #126,018 | #143,511 | -13.9% |
| Count | 136 | 118 | -13.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Convis bearers went from 136 to 118 (-13.2% change). The surname moved down 17,493 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #143,511.
FAQ
Convis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Convis?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Convis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Convis?
Convis ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 118 people with the surname Convis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Convis.
Has Convis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Convis went from 136 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 18 (-13.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Convis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Convis, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Convis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Convis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Convis (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 Convis mean?
A surname potentially derived from a French town or location name. 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 Convis (0.04 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 have the surname Convis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.