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

Driver, 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 Driver surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Driver in America

Driver is the 2361st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Driver surname appeared 15,442 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Driver.

We can also compare 2010 data for Driver 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 Driver

The surname DRIVER is an occupational name that originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "drife," which means to drive or herd animals. The name likely referred to a person who drove cattle or livestock for a living.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname DRIVER can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, dated 1182, which mention a person named William le Driver. Another early reference is the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1292, which include a Robert le Drivere.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for individuals with the surname DRIVER or its variants, such as Drivere and Drivour. These entries provide evidence of the surname's existence in various parts of England during the 11th century.

The surname DRIVER is also connected to several place names in England, such as Driver's End in Berkshire and Driver's Green in Suffolk. These locations may have been named after individuals with the surname DRIVER who lived or owned land in those areas.

One notable person with the surname DRIVER was William Driver (c. 1615-1697), a renowned English botanist and author of the book "The Botanick Garden." Another was Sir Clements Robert Driver (1846-1904), a British diplomat and ambassador to Spain.

Other historical figures with the surname DRIVER include Edward Driver (1555-1598), an English Roman Catholic priest and martyr; John Driver (1703-1786), an English engraver and portrait painter; and Thomas Driver (c. 1630-1694), an English philosopher and mathematician.

The surname DRIVER has also been found in various spellings throughout history, such as Dryver, Drivere, and Drivour, reflecting the evolution of language and regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Driver

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

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 Driver 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 Driver 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 Driver was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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