2000
#4,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,422
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.75
Rare Last name
Everson
Derived from Eoforson, meaning "son of Eofor," a name of Anglo-Saxon origin meaning "wild boar."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,563 Americans carry the last name Everson. That puts it at #4,610 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,027 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Everson 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 Everson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.6K
1 in 40,027
Census rank
#4,610
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,467 bearers of the surname Everson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4610th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Everson, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Everson
The surname Everson is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English personal name "Eafar" or "Iefara," meaning "boar." Over time, this name evolved into various spellings, including Eferson, Everson, and Evison.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Everson can be found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey commissioned by William the Conqueror to record the landholdings and population of England. This suggests that the name was already well-established in certain parts of the country by the late 11th century.
The name Everson is often associated with specific regions within England, such as Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Lincolnshire. It is thought to have originated in these areas, where many families bearing the name can be traced back to the Middle Ages. Place names like Everston and Everingham may have also contributed to the development of the surname.
Notable individuals with the surname Everson throughout history include:
1. John Everson (c. 1530-1602), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I for his religious beliefs.
2. Thomas Everson (1616-1688), a prominent Quaker leader and writer from Yorkshire, known for his advocacy of religious freedom.
3. William Everson (1912-1994), an American poet, and Dominican friar who wrote under the pen name Brother Antoninus. He was highly regarded for his works exploring nature and spirituality.
4. Ida Everson (1891-1985), an American social worker and activist who played a crucial role in establishing the first public housing project in the United States.
5. Terrence Everson (1924-2002), a British actor and screenwriter best known for his collaborations with the renowned director David Lean, including the films "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Doctor Zhivago."
While the surname Everson has evolved over the centuries and spread across different regions, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon traditions of England, where it emerged as a distinctive identifier for families and individuals.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Everson
Among Census respondents with the surname Everson, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Everson 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 Everson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.4% · 5,776
- Black or African American15.0% · 1,120
- Two or more races3.9% · 291
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 204
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Everson
Everson 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
#4,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,694
+272 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 2.61
Rank movement Down 190 places
2020
#4,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,467
-227 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 2.50
Rank movement Up 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,421 | 7,422 | 2.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,611 | 7,694 | 2.61 | +272 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 190 places |
| 2020 | #4,610 | 7,467 | 2.50 | -227 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 1 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 Everson 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 | #4,611 | #4,610 | 0.0% |
| Count | 7,694 | 7,467 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.61 | 2.50 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Everson bearers went from 7,694 to 7,467 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,611 to #4,610.
FAQ
Everson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Everson?
Name Census estimates that about 8,563 living Americans carry the surname Everson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,027 residents.
How common is Everson?
Everson ranks #4,610 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,467 people with the surname Everson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,563), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Everson.
Has Everson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Everson went from 7,694 recorded bearers to 7,467. That is a decrease of 227 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,611 to #4,610.
What does the Census say about the background of Everson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Everson, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) 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 Everson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.4% (5,776 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Everson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.4%), Black (15.0%), 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 Everson (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 Everson mean?
Derived from Eoforson, meaning "son of Eofor," a name of Anglo-Saxon origin meaning "wild boar." 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 Everson (2.50 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 surname Everson?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.