2000
#14,137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,952
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Scriven
An English occupational surname referring to a professional writer or notary, derived from the Old French "escrivain."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,301 Americans carry the last name Scriven. That puts it at #14,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,959 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scriven 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Scriven with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 148,959
Census rank
#14,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,007 bearers of the surname Scriven in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scriven, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.7%. The next largest groups are Black (44.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scriven
The surname SCRIVEN originates from England and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "scrifen," meaning a path or a narrow strip of land. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a winding path or a secluded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1204, where a person named William Scrivene is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, which lists a Thomas de Scriuene.
SCRIVEN is believed to have originated in the county of Yorkshire, particularly in the area around Knaresborough. The nearby village of Scriven, located near the River Nidd, may have given rise to the surname for those who lived in or came from that area.
In the 13th century, a variation of the name, "Skryven," appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire. This spelling suggests that the name underwent different regional variations over time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname SCRIVEN was John Scriven, who was born in Knaresborough, Yorkshire, around 1520. He was a prominent landowner and served as a magistrate in the region.
Another notable figure was Sir Erasmus Scriven (1584-1650), a member of the English gentry from Frampton Cotterell, Gloucestershire. He was knighted by King James I in 1619 and served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire.
In the late 17th century, Thomas Scriven (1651-1723) was a renowned theologian and author from Nottinghamshire. He wrote several religious works, including "A Course of Divinity" and "A Key to the Body of Practical Divinity."
During the 18th century, John Scriven (1708-1788) was a prominent merchant and landowner from Bristol. He amassed a considerable fortune through his trading activities and became a prominent figure in the city.
In the 19th century, James Scriven (1819-1886) was a well-known English poet and writer from Worcestershire. He published several collections of poetry, including "Poems" and "The Hermit of Eskdale," which received critical acclaim during his lifetime.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scriven
Among Census respondents with the surname Scriven, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.7%. The next largest groups are Black (44.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Scriven 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 Scriven surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.7% · 958
- Black or African American44.2% · 888
- Two or more races3.8% · 77
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scriven
Scriven 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
#14,191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,116
+164 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 54 places
2020
#14,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,007
-109 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 148 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,137 | 1,952 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,191 | 2,116 | 0.72 | +164 bearers (+8.4%) | Down 54 places |
| 2020 | #14,339 | 2,007 | 0.67 | -109 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 148 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 Scriven 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 | #14,191 | #14,339 | -1.0% |
| Count | 2,116 | 2,007 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.67 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scriven bearers went from 2,116 to 2,007 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 148 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,191 to #14,339.
FAQ
Scriven surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scriven?
Name Census estimates that about 2,301 living Americans carry the surname Scriven. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,959 residents.
How common is Scriven?
Scriven ranks #14,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,007 people with the surname Scriven. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,301), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Scriven.
Has Scriven become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scriven went from 2,116 recorded bearers to 2,007. That is a decrease of 109 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,191 to #14,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Scriven?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scriven, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.7%. The next largest groups are Black (44.2%) 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 Scriven in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.7% (958 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scriven appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (47.7%), Black (44.2%), 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 Scriven (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 Scriven mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a professional writer or notary, derived from the Old French "escrivain." 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 Scriven (0.67 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 share the surname Scriven?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.