2000
#11,399
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,535
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Evens
Derived from the given name Evan, meaning "young warrior," or from even or flat-bottomed land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,990 Americans carry the last name Evens. That puts it at #11,538 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,634 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Evens 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 Evens with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 114,634
Census rank
#11,538
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,607 bearers of the surname Evens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11538th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Evens, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (17.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Evens
The surname Evens is of English origin, derived from the personal name "Evan" which itself comes from the Hebrew name "Evan" meaning "rock" or "stone". It's believed that the surname first emerged in the 12th century in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Wiltshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Evens surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a William Evenes is mentioned as residing in Oxfordshire. Additionally, the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, which lists a John Evenes.
During the Middle Ages, the surname was often spelled in various ways, such as Evens, Evyns, Evenes, and Evens. These variations were likely due to the inconsistent spelling practices of the time and the regional dialects in which the name was recorded.
Notable historical figures with the surname Evens include Sir John Evens (1586-1650), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire in the early 17th century. Another prominent individual was Reverend Lewis Evens (1630-1720), a Welsh clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
In the 18th century, Thomas Evens (1743-1825) was a renowned English architect responsible for designing several buildings in London, including the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. Additionally, William Evens (1776-1857) was a British military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.
Moving into the 19th century, Evan Evens (1828-1905) was a Welsh poet and writer who contributed significantly to the preservation of Welsh language and literature. His works, such as "Y Geirlyfr Ysgrythyrol" (The Scriptural Dictionary), were widely acclaimed.
Throughout its history, the Evens surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Evenshill in Wiltshire and Evenswood in Worcestershire, further highlighting its deep roots in the English countryside.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Evens
Among Census respondents with the surname Evens, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (17.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Evens 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 Evens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.0% · 1,902
- Black or African American17.9% · 466
- Two or more races3.9% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 93
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Evens
Evens 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
#12,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,587
+52 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 656 places
2020
#11,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,607
+20 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 517 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,399 | 2,535 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,055 | 2,587 | 0.88 | +52 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 656 places |
| 2020 | #11,538 | 2,607 | 0.87 | +20 bearers (+0.8%) | Up 517 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 Evens 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 | #12,055 | #11,538 | 4.3% |
| Count | 2,587 | 2,607 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.87 | -0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Evens bearers went from 2,587 to 2,607 (+0.8% change). The surname moved up 517 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,055 to #11,538.
FAQ
Evens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Evens?
Name Census estimates that about 2,990 living Americans carry the surname Evens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,634 residents.
How common is Evens?
Evens ranks #11,538 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 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 2,607 people with the surname Evens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,990), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 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 Evens.
Has Evens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Evens went from 2,587 recorded bearers to 2,607. That is an increase of 20 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,055 to #11,538.
What does the Census say about the background of Evens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Evens, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (17.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Evens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.0% (1,902 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Evens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.0%), Black (17.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Evens (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 Evens mean?
Derived from the given name Evan, meaning "young warrior," or from even or flat-bottomed land. 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 Evens (0.87 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 Evens?
You can see how many people have the surname Evens on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.