Find out how popular the last name Divers is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Divers.

Divers, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Divers surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Divers in America

Divers is the 20076th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Divers surname appeared 1,331 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Divers.

We can also compare 2010 data for Divers to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Divers

The surname Divers has its origins in France, tracing back to the Middle Ages around the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "diveor," which means "one who dives" or "a diver." This occupational surname was likely given to someone whose profession involved diving, such as a pearl diver or a fisherman who retrieved items from the depths of bodies of water.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Divers can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive record of landowners and their holdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that individuals bearing the name Divers might have been among the Norman settlers who arrived in England following the Norman Conquest in 1066.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert Divers, who was born in Normandy, France, around 1150. He is mentioned in historical records as a skilled pearl diver and is believed to have been part of the crew that accompanied William the Conqueror during the Norman Invasion of England in 1066.

Another notable individual with the surname Divers was Sir John Divers, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Scottish Wars of Independence in the early 14th century. He was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, around 1280 and was renowned for his bravery and skill in battle.

In the 16th century, the Divers family established themselves in the coastal regions of Cornwall, England, where many of them worked as fishermen and divers. One notable member of this branch was William Divers, born in 1546, who is credited with pioneering new techniques for pearl diving and retrieving sunken treasures from shipwrecks.

The name Divers can also be found in various place names around Europe, such as Divers-sur-Mer in Normandy, France, and Divers Cove in Cornwall, England, further reinforcing the connection between the surname and its occupational origins.

Over the centuries, the surname Divers has undergone several spelling variations, including Diveris, Dyvors, and Dyveres, reflecting the regional dialects and phonetic variations of different areas where the name was prevalent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Divers

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Divers.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Divers was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Divers has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Divers was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Divers, please contact us.

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