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

Givhan, 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 Givhan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Givhan in America

Givhan is the 37735th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Givhan surname appeared 589 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Givhan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Givhan 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 Givhan

The surname Givhan is believed to have originated in England, likely in the early medieval period. It is thought to be a locational surname, derived from a place name that no longer exists or has changed significantly over time. Some linguists suggest the name may be derived from the Old English words "gifan" meaning "to give" and "hām" meaning "home" or "homestead," implying it could have referred to a place where alms or charity was distributed.

Early recordings of the name are scarce, but it appears to have been present in parts of southern England by the 13th century. One of the earliest known references to the surname is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where a Richard Gevyn is listed as a taxpayer.

In the 14th century, the surname is recorded in various forms, including Gevyn, Gyvyn, and Gyvon, reflecting the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time. A John Gyvon is mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1381.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the spelling of the name began to stabilize, with variants such as Givyn, Giveyn, and Givhan appearing in various records. One notable bearer of the name was Thomas Givhan, a merchant from London who was recorded in the Port Books of Bristol in 1607.

By the 18th century, the surname had largely settled into its modern spelling of Givhan. A prominent figure bearing this name was Sir William Givhan (1720-1795), a British politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Taunton from 1768 to 1784.

Other historical figures with the surname Givhan include:

1. Richard Givhan (1765-1832), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars.
2. Elizabeth Givhan (1802-1874), an American author and poet from Virginia.
3. John Givhan (1838-1912), a Scottish-born Australian politician and businessman who served as a member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia.
4. Henry Givhan (1870-1948), an American architect known for his work in the southern United States, including the design of several notable buildings in New Orleans.
5. Margaret Givhan (1887-1966), an American philanthropist and advocate for women's rights, who was instrumental in establishing several educational institutions in her home state of Alabama.

While the surname Givhan is not among the most common in the English-speaking world, it has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval England, with various branches and notable individuals emerging over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Givhan

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

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

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

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