2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Overvold
A surname possibly derived from a Scandinavian place name referring to an overgrown field or valley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Overvold. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Overvold 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Overvold in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Overvold, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Overvold
The surname Overvold originated in Norway during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old Norse words "yfir" meaning "over" and "voll" meaning "field" or "meadow." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near or owned land situated above a field or meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Overvold can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian medieval documents and records. An entry from the year 1389 mentions a person named Thorstein Overvold, who was likely a landowner or farmer in the region.
The name Overvold has undergone various spelling variations throughout history, including Overvoll, Overvoll, and Overvolden. These variations often reflect regional dialects and language changes over time.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name Overvold was Nils Overvold (1525-1602), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Bergen, Norway. He was known for his successful trading ventures and his involvement in local politics.
Another prominent individual with the surname Overvold was Hans Overvold (1675-1742), a Lutheran minister and theologian who served as a parish priest in the Trondheim region of Norway. He was renowned for his influential sermons and writings on religious matters.
During the 19th century, the name Overvold was associated with several notable figures in Norway, including Arne Overvold (1845-1912), a respected lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Norwegian Parliament (Storting).
In more recent history, one of the most famous bearers of the surname Overvold was Knut Overvold (1901-1987), a Norwegian author and playwright known for his works exploring rural life and the struggles of the working class. His plays and novels received critical acclaim and continue to be studied in literary circles.
It is worth noting that the name Overvold has also been found in other Scandinavian countries, such as Sweden and Denmark, although its origins can be traced back to Norway. This is likely due to migration patterns and cultural exchanges between these neighboring regions throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Overvold
Among Census respondents with the surname Overvold, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Overvold 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 Overvold surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Overvold
Overvold 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+8 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,096 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-5 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 2,650 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+8.0%) | Down 1,096 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 2,650 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 Overvold 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 | #151,532 | #154,182 | -1.7% |
| Count | 108 | 103 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Overvold bearers went from 108 to 103 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 2,650 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #154,182.
FAQ
Overvold surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Overvold?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Overvold. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Overvold?
Overvold ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Overvold. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Overvold.
Has Overvold become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Overvold went from 108 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Overvold?
Among Census respondents with the surname Overvold, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Overvold in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Overvold appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Hispanic (1.0%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Overvold (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 Overvold mean?
A surname possibly derived from a Scandinavian place name referring to an overgrown field or valley. 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 Overvold (0.03 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 Overvold?
Find out how common the surname Overvold is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.