2000
#4,015
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.01
Rare Last name
Covert
An occupational surname referring to a person who kept animals in an enclosure or acted as a gamekeeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,074 Americans carry the last name Covert. That puts it at #4,336 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,773 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Covert 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
9.1K
1 in 37,773
Census rank
#4,336
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,913 bearers of the surname Covert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4336th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Covert, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Covert
The surname Covert has its origins in the French language, derived from the word "covert," which means "covered" or "hidden." It is believed to have emerged in the medieval period, possibly as early as the 11th century, in the northern regions of France.
The name likely originated as a descriptive term referring to someone who lived in a secluded or sheltered area, such as a forest or thicket. It may have also been used to describe someone who worked in a covert or hidden profession, such as a spy or a hunter.
In England, the surname Covert first appeared in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were records of landholders and their properties. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was Robert le Covert, who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of Hertfordshire in 1221.
Another early reference to the name can be found in the Placita de Quo Warranto of 1292, which mentioned William Covert, a landowner in Lincolnshire. The name was also present in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327, with the entry of Reginald Covert.
In the 14th century, the name Covert appeared in various forms, such as Coverte, Covert, and Coveert, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. One notable individual from this period was John Covert, a monk and chronicler who lived in the late 14th century and is known for his writings on the history of the Benedictine monastery in St. Albans.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Covert spread throughout England and eventually made its way to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was William Covert, who arrived in Virginia in 1636.
In the 18th century, the Covert family established itself in various parts of the United States, with notable members including Isaac Covert (1732-1803), a farmer and Revolutionary War soldier from New Jersey, and Gilbert Covert (1761-1826), a landowner and militia captain from New York.
Other notable individuals with the surname Covert include John Covert (1800-1873), a politician and lawyer from New York; Abram Covert (1803-1888), a farmer and politician from Michigan; and William Covert (1848-1920), a businessman and philanthropist from New York.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Covert
Among Census respondents with the surname Covert, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Covert 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 Covert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 7,016
- Two or more races4.0% · 320
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 270
- Black or African American2.8% · 219
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Covert
Covert 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
#4,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,369
+255 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 2.84
Rank movement Down 221 places
2020
#4,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,913
-456 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 2.65
Rank movement Down 100 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,015 | 8,114 | 3.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,236 | 8,369 | 2.84 | +255 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 221 places |
| 2020 | #4,336 | 7,913 | 2.65 | -456 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 100 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 Covert 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 | #4,236 | #4,336 | -2.4% |
| Count | 8,369 | 7,913 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.84 | 2.65 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Covert bearers went from 8,369 to 7,913 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 100 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,236 to #4,336.
FAQ
Covert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Covert?
Name Census estimates that about 9,074 living Americans carry the surname Covert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,773 residents.
How common is Covert?
Covert ranks #4,336 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.65 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 7,913 people with the surname Covert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,074), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.65 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 Covert.
Has Covert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Covert went from 8,369 recorded bearers to 7,913. That is a decrease of 456 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,236 to #4,336.
What does the Census say about the background of Covert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Covert, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) 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 Covert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (7,016 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Covert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Two or More Races (4.0%), 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 Covert (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 Covert mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who kept animals in an enclosure or acted as a gamekeeper. 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 Covert (2.65 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 are called Covert?
Find out how common the surname Covert is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.