2000
#14,920
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,820
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Ivester
An Anglicized form of the German surname Eibisser, derived from the plant hibiscus.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,062 Americans carry the last name Ivester. That puts it at #15,640 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,224 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ivester 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
2.1K
1 in 166,224
Census rank
#15,640
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,798 bearers of the surname Ivester in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15640th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ivester, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Black (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ivester
The surname Ivester is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place called Iveston or Iveston-on-the-Hill, located in the county of Leicestershire. The name may have evolved from the Old English words "yfes" meaning "ridge" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "settlement."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ivester name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Leicestershire from the year 1587, where a certain John Ivester is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Iveston. The same name also appears in the Hearth Tax records of 1662, indicating its continued presence in the area.
In the late 17th century, a family bearing the Ivester surname is documented as residing in the parish of Broughton Astley, also in Leicestershire. Among them was William Ivester, born in 1678, who is recorded as having served as a churchwarden in the local parish church.
As the centuries progressed, the Ivester name spread beyond its origins in Leicestershire. Notable individuals bearing this surname include John Ivester, a merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire, who lived from 1715 to 1792. Another prominent figure was Elizabeth Ivester, a writer and poet from Somerset, who was born in 1804 and published several volumes of poetry during her lifetime.
In the 19th century, the Ivester family had established itself in various parts of England. One notable member was Thomas Ivester, a successful industrialist from Manchester, born in 1823. He founded the Ivester Mills, a textile manufacturing company that played a significant role in the city's industrial development.
Another individual of note was Sir William Ivester, a military officer and politician from Lincolnshire, who lived from 1845 to 1912. He served as a Member of Parliament and was knighted for his contributions to public service.
While the Ivester surname has its roots firmly planted in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, the name's origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the English countryside, particularly in the county of Leicestershire, where it first emerged and flourished.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ivester
Among Census respondents with the surname Ivester, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Black (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ivester 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 Ivester surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 1,635
- Two or more races4.1% · 74
- Black or African American2.0% · 36
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ivester
Ivester 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
#15,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,896
+76 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 529 places
2020
#15,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,798
-98 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 191 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,920 | 1,820 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,449 | 1,896 | 0.64 | +76 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 529 places |
| 2020 | #15,640 | 1,798 | 0.60 | -98 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 191 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 Ivester 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 | #15,449 | #15,640 | -1.2% |
| Count | 1,896 | 1,798 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.60 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ivester bearers went from 1,896 to 1,798 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 191 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,449 to #15,640.
FAQ
Ivester surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ivester?
Name Census estimates that about 2,062 living Americans carry the surname Ivester. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,224 residents.
How common is Ivester?
Ivester ranks #15,640 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,798 people with the surname Ivester. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,062), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Ivester.
Has Ivester become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ivester went from 1,896 recorded bearers to 1,798. That is a decrease of 98 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,449 to #15,640.
What does the Census say about the background of Ivester?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ivester, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Black (2.0%). 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 Ivester in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (1,635 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ivester appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Black (2.0%). 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 Ivester (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 Ivester mean?
An Anglicized form of the German surname Eibisser, derived from the plant hibiscus. 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 Ivester (0.60 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 Ivester?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.