2000
#91,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 188
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Havig
A surname possibly derived from a Norwegian place name or nickname.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 201 Americans carry the last name Havig. That puts it at #108,023 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,705,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Havig 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.
Bearers in the US
201
1 in 1,705,245
Census rank
#108,023
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
175
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 175 bearers of the surname Havig in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 108023rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Havig, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Havig
The surname HAVIG originated in Norway, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old Norse word "hafr," which means "buck" or "male goat." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a nickname or descriptive name for someone who had a physical resemblance or characteristic associated with a male goat.
One of the earliest documented references to the HAVIG surname can be found in the records of the city of Bergen, Norway, from the mid-16th century. These records mention a merchant named Hans HAVIG, born around 1530, who was engaged in the lucrative trade between Norway and the Hanseatic League cities in northern Germany.
In the 17th century, the HAVIG name appears in several parish records from the Møre og Romsdal region of western Norway. Notably, a farmer named Olav HAVIG, born in 1620, is mentioned in the records of the Herøy parish. It is possible that the name had its roots in this coastal region, where goat farming and fishing were common occupations.
As the name spread across Norway, variations in spelling emerged, including HAVIG, HAVVIG, and HAFVIG. These variations likely reflected regional dialects and differences in pronunciation. One notable bearer of the name was Nils HAFVIG, a prominent merchant and shipowner from Trondheim, who lived from 1765 to 1842.
In the 19th century, the HAVIG surname began to appear in other parts of Scandinavia, particularly in Sweden and Denmark. A Swedish engineer and inventor named Carl HAVIG, born in 1830, was responsible for several innovations in the field of steam engines and machinery. Meanwhile, in Denmark, a writer and journalist named Niels HAVIG, born in 1845, gained recognition for his works on Danish culture and history.
As Norwegians and other Scandinavians immigrated to North America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the HAVIG surname was carried to the New World. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States was that of Gustav HAVIG, a Norwegian immigrant who settled in Minnesota in the 1870s and worked as a farmer.
Throughout its history, the HAVIG surname has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, farmers, inventors, writers, and more. While not an extremely common name, it has left its mark in the historical records of Norway and other Scandinavian countries, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and diverse occupations of its bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Havig
Among Census respondents with the surname Havig, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Havig 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 Havig surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 167
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 6
- Two or more races1.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Havig
Havig 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
#102,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 175
-13 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 11,684 places
2020
#108,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 175
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 5,335 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #91,004 | 188 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #102,688 | 175 | 0.06 | -13 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 11,684 places |
| 2020 | #108,023 | 175 | 0.06 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 5,335 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 Havig 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 | #102,688 | #108,023 | -5.2% |
| Count | 175 | 175 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Havig bearers went from 175 to 175 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 5,335 positions in the national ranking, going from #102,688 to #108,023.
FAQ
Havig surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Havig?
Name Census estimates that about 201 living Americans carry the surname Havig. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,705,245 residents.
How common is Havig?
Havig ranks #108,023 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 175 people with the surname Havig. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (201), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Havig.
Has Havig become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Havig went from 175 recorded bearers to 175. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #102,688 to #108,023.
What does the Census say about the background of Havig?
Among Census respondents with the surname Havig, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Havig in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (167 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Havig appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Havig (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 Havig mean?
A surname possibly derived from a Norwegian place name or nickname. 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 Havig (0.06 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 Havig?
Find out how common the surname Havig is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.