2000
#10,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,798
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Scoville
An English locational surname derived from the village of Scoville in Norfolk, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,231 Americans carry the last name Scoville. That puts it at #10,807 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,083 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scoville 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
3.2K
1 in 106,083
Census rank
#10,807
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,818 bearers of the surname Scoville in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10807th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scoville, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scoville
The surname Scoville is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "scofel" meaning a shovel or spade, and "ville" meaning a village or town. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a village associated with shovel-making or related occupations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Scoville can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1279, which mentions a John de Shovyll. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various forms, including Schovyll, Shovyll, and Shoville, further indicating its connection to the Old English word "scofel." These early spellings were likely influenced by the local dialects and pronunciations of the time.
The Scoville name was particularly prominent in the counties of Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, where it has been documented in historical records and parish registers dating back to the 15th century.
One notable individual bearing the Scoville surname was Sir John Scoville (c. 1440-1505), a wealthy merchant and alderman of London. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1494 and was known for his philanthropic efforts, including the endowment of educational institutions.
Another prominent figure was William Scoville (1570-1621), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1617 to 1619.
In the 17th century, the Scoville family established a presence in the American colonies, with records showing individuals such as John Scoville (1610-1672), who settled in Stratford, Connecticut, and Thomas Scoville (1620-1689), who was among the early settlers of Farmington, Connecticut.
One of the most notable individuals with the Scoville surname was Wilbur Lincoln Scoville (1865-1942), an American pharmacist and chemist. He developed the Scoville Organoleptic Test, a scale used to measure the pungency or heat of chili peppers, which became widely adopted in the food industry.
In literature, the Scoville name appeared in works such as "The Scoville Pedigree" by Samuel Scoville (1822-1891), a genealogical record of the Scoville family in America, tracing their lineage back to the 17th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scoville
Among Census respondents with the surname Scoville, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Scoville 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 Scoville surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 2,547
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 109
- Two or more races3.8% · 106
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 27
- Black or African American0.9% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scoville
Scoville 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
#11,241
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,812
+14 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 722 places
2020
#10,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,818
+6 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Up 434 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,519 | 2,798 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,241 | 2,812 | 0.95 | +14 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 722 places |
| 2020 | #10,807 | 2,818 | 0.94 | +6 bearers (+0.2%) | Up 434 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 Scoville 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 | #11,241 | #10,807 | 3.9% |
| Count | 2,812 | 2,818 | 0.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.94 | -0.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scoville bearers went from 2,812 to 2,818 (+0.2% change). The surname moved up 434 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,241 to #10,807.
FAQ
Scoville surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scoville?
Name Census estimates that about 3,231 living Americans carry the surname Scoville. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,083 residents.
How common is Scoville?
Scoville ranks #10,807 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 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 2,818 people with the surname Scoville. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,231), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 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 Scoville.
Has Scoville become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scoville went from 2,812 recorded bearers to 2,818. That is an increase of 6 (+0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,241 to #10,807.
What does the Census say about the background of Scoville?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scoville, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Scoville in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (2,547 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scoville appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Scoville (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 Scoville mean?
An English locational surname derived from the village of Scoville in Norfolk, England. 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 Scoville (0.94 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 Scoville?
Want to know how common the surname Scoville is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.