2000
#1,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,231
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.39
Uncommon Last name
Culver
An English occupational surname for a keeper of doves or pigeons.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,352 Americans carry the last name Culver. That puts it at #2,085 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,712 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Culver 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Culver with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 17,712
Census rank
#2,085
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,876 bearers of the surname Culver in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2085th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Culver, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Culver
The surname Culver originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "culfre" or "culfor," which were the terms used for a dove or pigeon. The name may have initially been given as a nickname to someone who had a particular affinity for these birds or possibly as an occupational name for someone who raised or caught doves or pigeons.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Culver surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a person named William Culverd is mentioned. The Culver name also appears in various other historical records from medieval England, such as the Pipe Rolls, the Subsidy Rolls, and the Hearth Tax Returns.
The Culver surname is thought to have originated in the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Gloucestershire, where there are several places with names derived from the Old English word "culfre," such as Culverton and Culworth. These place names may have influenced the development of the surname.
In terms of notable historical figures bearing the Culver surname, one example is Robert Culver, a 16th-century English farmer and landowner from Oxfordshire, who lived from around 1520 to 1580. Another is Thomas Culver, a 17th-century English clergyman and author who was born in 1640 and wrote several theological works.
Moving forward in time, John Culver (1721-1804) was an American farmer and Revolutionary War soldier from Connecticut. Erastus Culver (1826-1899) was a prominent American businessman and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New York in the late 19th century.
Additionally, William Culver (1758-1844) was an American lawyer and judge who served as the fourth Governor of New York from 1825 to 1828. He was born in Oxfordshire, England, before his family immigrated to the American colonies when he was a child.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the Culver surname, which has its roots in medieval England and is believed to have originated as a nickname or occupational name related to doves or pigeons.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Culver
Among Census respondents with the surname Culver, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Culver 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 Culver surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.0% · 13,504
- Black or African American11.0% · 1,856
- Two or more races4.0% · 671
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 609
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 131
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 105
Timeline
Historical Census data for Culver
Culver 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
#2,051
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,566
+335 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 5.95
Rank movement Down 136 places
2020
#2,085
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,876
-690 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 5.65
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,915 | 17,231 | 6.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,051 | 17,566 | 5.95 | +335 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 136 places |
| 2020 | #2,085 | 16,876 | 5.65 | -690 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 34 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 Culver 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 | #2,051 | #2,085 | -1.7% |
| Count | 17,566 | 16,876 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 5.95 | 5.65 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Culver bearers went from 17,566 to 16,876 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,051 to #2,085.
FAQ
Culver surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Culver?
Name Census estimates that about 19,352 living Americans carry the surname Culver. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,712 residents.
How common is Culver?
Culver ranks #2,085 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,876 people with the surname Culver. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,352), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Culver.
Has Culver become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Culver went from 17,566 recorded bearers to 16,876. That is a decrease of 690 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,051 to #2,085.
What does the Census say about the background of Culver?
Among Census respondents with the surname Culver, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Culver in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (13,504 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Culver appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.0%), Black (11.0%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Culver (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 Culver mean?
An English occupational surname for a keeper of doves or pigeons. 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 Culver (5.65 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 have the last name Culver?
You can see how many people are called Culver on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.