2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lervik
A locational surname derived from a village or place name in Norway.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Lervik. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lervik 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Lervik in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lervik, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lervik
The surname Lervik has its origins in Norway, originating in the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is a locational name derived from the Norwegian place name "Lervik," which means "clay bay" or "muddy bay." The name likely referred to individuals who lived near or originated from a settlement called Lervik, which was located in an area with a clay or muddy bay.
Variations of the name have been found in old Norwegian records and manuscripts, such as Lervig, Lerviig, and Lerviik. While the name does not appear in well-known historical documents like the Domesday Book, it has been recorded in various Norwegian parish registers and census records from the 16th century onwards.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lervik is that of Nils Lervik, a Norwegian farmer born in 1612 in the village of Lervik, located in the county of Vestfold, Norway. Another early bearer of the name was Hans Lervik, a fisherman from the coastal town of Lervik in the county of Møre og Romsdal, who was born in 1649.
In the 19th century, a notable individual with the surname Lervik was Peder Lervik, a Norwegian politician and farmer who served as a member of the Storting (the Norwegian parliament) from 1874 to 1879. He was born in 1822 in the village of Lervik, located in the county of Telemark.
Another historically significant bearer of the name was Ingrid Lervik, a Norwegian author and poet who lived from 1868 to 1945. She was born in the town of Lervik, located in the county of Møre og Romsdal, and her works explored themes of rural life and the natural beauty of Norway.
In the early 20th century, there was a notable Norwegian explorer named Roald Lervik, who was born in 1892 in the town of Lervik, located in the county of Nordland. He was part of several expeditions to the Arctic regions and made significant contributions to the study of polar geography and wildlife.
Throughout history, the surname Lervik has remained primarily concentrated in Norway, with a few individuals bearing the name emigrating to other parts of the world. It is a name deeply rooted in Norwegian history and tradition, reflecting the country's rich cultural heritage and connection to its natural landscapes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lervik
Among Census respondents with the surname Lervik, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Lervik 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 Lervik surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 100
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lervik
Lervik 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,103 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-7 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,525 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 7,103 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 7,525 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 Lervik 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 | #141,140 | #148,665 | -5.3% |
| Count | 118 | 111 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lervik bearers went from 118 to 111 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 7,525 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #148,665.
FAQ
Lervik surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lervik?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Lervik. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Lervik?
Lervik ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 111 people with the surname Lervik. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Lervik.
Has Lervik become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lervik went from 118 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Lervik?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lervik, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Lervik in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lervik appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Lervik (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 Lervik mean?
A locational surname derived from a village or place name in Norway. 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 Lervik (0.04 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 are called Lervik?
Want to know how many people have the last name Lervik? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.