2000
#23,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 987
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.37
Rare Last name
Selvey
A surname denoting a dweller in or near a grove or small woods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,101 Americans carry the last name Selvey. That puts it at #26,730 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 311,312 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Selvey 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 Selvey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.1K
1 in 311,312
Census rank
#26,730
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
960
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 960 bearers of the surname Selvey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 26730th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Selvey, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Selvey
The surname SELVEY is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from the Old English word "self," meaning "the same," combined with the suffix "-ey," indicating a place or locality. This suggests that the name may have originated from a place where people from the same area or region settled.
The earliest recorded instances of the SELVEY surname can be traced back to the 13th century, where it appeared in various forms such as Selvey, Selvy, and Selvee. One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was William Selvey, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275.
In the 14th century, the name SELVEY appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire, where Thomas Selvey was listed as a taxpayer in 1327. This record provides evidence of the surname's presence in the West Midlands region of England during this period.
The SELVEY surname has also been associated with place names in England, such as Selby, a town in North Yorkshire. It is possible that the name may have derived from this place name or a similar locality with a similar spelling.
Notable individuals bearing the SELVEY surname throughout history include:
1. John Selvey (c. 1580-1638), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Bridekirk in Cumberland.
2. Edward Selvey (1619-1675), an English merchant and member of the East India Company, who was involved in trade with India and the Far East.
3. Elizabeth Selvey (c. 1700-1780), a British landowner and philanthropist from Gloucestershire, known for her charitable contributions to local churches and schools.
4. William Selvey (1792-1867), a British soldier who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a prominent figure in the colony of New South Wales, Australia.
5. Margaret Selvey (1865-1947), an American author and poet who wrote several collections of poetry and short stories in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
While the SELVEY surname may have evolved and spread to different parts of the world over time, its origins can be traced back to medieval England, where it was likely derived from a place name or locality associated with the Old English word "self."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Selvey
Among Census respondents with the surname Selvey, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Selvey 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 Selvey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.0% · 768
- Black or African American10.4% · 100
- Two or more races4.7% · 45
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Selvey
Selvey 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
#25,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 965
-22 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.33
Rank movement Down 1,688 places
2020
#26,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 960
-5 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Down 1,158 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,884 | 987 | 0.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #25,572 | 965 | 0.33 | -22 bearers (-2.2%) | Down 1,688 places |
| 2020 | #26,730 | 960 | 0.32 | -5 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 1,158 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 Selvey 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 | #25,572 | #26,730 | -4.5% |
| Count | 965 | 960 | -0.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.33 | 0.32 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Selvey bearers went from 965 to 960 (-0.5% change). The surname moved down 1,158 positions in the national ranking, going from #25,572 to #26,730.
FAQ
Selvey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Selvey?
Name Census estimates that about 1,101 living Americans carry the surname Selvey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 311,312 residents.
How common is Selvey?
Selvey ranks #26,730 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.32 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 960 people with the surname Selvey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,101), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.32 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 Selvey.
Has Selvey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Selvey went from 965 recorded bearers to 960. That is a decrease of 5 (-0.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #25,572 to #26,730.
What does the Census say about the background of Selvey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Selvey, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Selvey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (768 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Selvey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.0%), Black (10.4%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Selvey (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 Selvey mean?
A surname denoting a dweller in or near a grove or small woods. 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 Selvey (0.32 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 Selvey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.