2000
#15,125
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,789
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Even
Derived from the Old English given name Ēfan, likely meaning "equal" or "peer," or from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,207 Americans carry the last name Even. That puts it at #14,793 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 155,303 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Even 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 Even with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 155,303
Census rank
#14,793
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,925 bearers of the surname Even in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14793rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Even, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Even
The surname EVEN originated in England and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "efene," meaning "level" or "flat." This suggests that the name may have been used to describe someone who lived on flat land or in a level area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname EVEN can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1195, where a person named Adam Even is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, referring to a Ralph Even.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname EVEN was primarily concentrated in the counties of Yorkshire, Oxfordshire, and Gloucestershire. It is believed that the name may have originated from a place name, such as Evenhall or Evenley, although the exact connection is uncertain.
In the 15th century, the surname EVEN started to become more widespread across England. Notable individuals with this surname during this period include John Even, a merchant from Bristol who was involved in the wool trade in the mid-1400s, and William Even, a landowner in Gloucestershire mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1524.
The 16th and 17th centuries saw the continued use of the surname EVEN, with some variations in spelling, such as Evene and Evens. One notable figure was Sir Robert Even, a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the early 1600s.
In the 18th century, several distinguished individuals bore the surname EVEN, including John Even (1681-1762), a renowned clockmaker from London, and Thomas Even (1711-1789), a scholar and clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Nottingham.
As the surname EVEN spread across England, it also made its way to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the colonies in North America and other parts of the world. Some notable individuals with this surname in more recent history include William Even (1762-1829), a British army officer who served in the American Revolutionary War, and George Even (1812-1886), a Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist in New York City.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Even
Among Census respondents with the surname Even, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Even 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 Even surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 1,755
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 69
- Black or African American2.0% · 39
- Two or more races1.8% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Even
Even 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
#15,020
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,966
+177 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 105 places
2020
#14,793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,925
-41 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 227 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,125 | 1,789 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,020 | 1,966 | 0.67 | +177 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 105 places |
| 2020 | #14,793 | 1,925 | 0.64 | -41 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 227 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 Even 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 | #15,020 | #14,793 | 1.5% |
| Count | 1,966 | 1,925 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.64 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Even bearers went from 1,966 to 1,925 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 227 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,020 to #14,793.
FAQ
Even surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Even?
Name Census estimates that about 2,207 living Americans carry the surname Even. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 155,303 residents.
How common is Even?
Even ranks #14,793 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,925 people with the surname Even. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,207), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Even.
Has Even become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Even went from 1,966 recorded bearers to 1,925. That is a decrease of 41 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,020 to #14,793.
What does the Census say about the background of Even?
Among Census respondents with the surname Even, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (2.0%). 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 Even in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (1,755 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Even appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (3.6%), Black (2.0%). 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 Even (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 Even mean?
Derived from the Old English given name Ēfan, likely meaning "equal" or "peer," or from a place 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 Even (0.64 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 Americans have the surname Even?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.