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

Evenson, 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 Evenson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Evenson in America

Evenson is the 5694th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Evenson surname appeared 6,088 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Evenson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Evenson 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 Evenson

The surname Evenson originated in Scandinavia, with its roots tracing back to the Old Norse personal name Evindr or Eyvindr. This name was derived from the Old Norse elements "ey" meaning "island" and "vindr" meaning "wind." Thus, the name Evenson could be interpreted as "son of Evindr" or "son of the island wind."

The earliest known records of the Evenson name can be found in Iceland, where it appeared as early as the 13th century. In Norway, the name was commonly spelled as Evensen or Evenson, with the latter spelling being more prevalent in later centuries.

One of the earliest documented individuals with the Evenson surname was Þorsteinn Evenson, a Norwegian farmer who lived in the 14th century. His name is mentioned in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian medieval documents.

In the 16th century, the Evenson name made its way to Denmark, where it was sometimes spelled as Evensen or Evenssøn. Notable Danish individuals with this surname include Niels Evenson (1609-1674), a wealthy merchant and ship owner from Copenhagen.

As the Evenson family spread across Scandinavia, some members eventually migrated to other parts of Europe and beyond. In the 19th century, many Evensons from Norway and Sweden emigrated to the United States, settling in states like Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

One of the most famous Evensons in American history was Walter Evenson (1890-1964), a prominent lawyer and politician from Wisconsin. He served as the Attorney General of Wisconsin from 1939 to 1949 and played a significant role in the state's government during the mid-20th century.

Another notable Evenson was Lillie Evenson (1885-1977), a Norwegian-American author and educator. She wrote several books on Norwegian culture and folklore, helping to preserve and promote her heritage in the United States.

In the literary world, the name Evenson is associated with Brian Evenson (born 1966), an American author and professor known for his works of literary fiction and horror. His novels and short stories have received critical acclaim and numerous awards.

While the Evenson surname may have originated in Scandinavia, it has since spread across the globe, with bearers of this name contributing to various fields and leaving their mark on history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Evenson

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

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

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

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