Find out how popular the last name Selvie is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Selvie.

Selvie, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Selvie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Selvie in America

Selvie is the 126018th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Selvie surname appeared 136 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Selvie.

We can also compare 2010 data for Selvie to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Selvie

The surname Selvie is believed to have originated in the Normandy region of France during the early medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "selve," which means "forest" or "woodland." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked in a forested area.

Records from the 11th century indicate that the name was first found in the village of Selvie, located in the Calvados department of Normandy. It is possible that the surname was adopted by residents of this village or that they took the name with them when they migrated to other parts of France or England following the Norman Conquest of 1066.

The Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England, does not appear to contain any direct references to the surname Selvie. However, this does not necessarily mean that the name was not present in England at that time, as the Domesday Book was not an exhaustive record of all names in use.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Selvie can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Étienne de Caen, a collection of documents from the Abbey of Saint-Étienne in Caen, Normandy. This cartulary, dated from the late 11th to the early 12th century, mentions a person named Robertus de Selvie, who may have been a landowner or tenant in the Selvie area.

Another early bearer of the name was Guillaume de Selvie, who was mentioned in the Livre des Vassaux, a record of feudal vassals in Normandy, compiled around 1180. This document suggests that Guillaume de Selvie held land or had feudal obligations in the Normandy region.

In the 13th century, there are records of a family named Selvie residing in the village of Selvie-l'Orgueilleuse, which was located in the present-day department of Manche in Normandy. This village name, which translates to "Selvie the Proud," may have been derived from the surname itself or vice versa.

During the 14th century, the name Selvie began to appear in England, likely as a result of Norman migration following the conquest. One notable example is John Selvie, who was recorded as a landowner in the county of Oxfordshire in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327.

In the 15th century, the name Selvie is mentioned in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence between members of the Paston family in Norfolk, England. These letters refer to a person named Thomas Selvie, who was involved in legal disputes over land and property rights.

As the centuries progressed, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations such as Selvey, Selvy, and Selvy appearing in various records. While not a particularly common surname, the Selvie name has persisted throughout history, with bearers scattered across various regions of England and France.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Selvie

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Selvie.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Selvie was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Selvie has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Selvie was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Selvie, please contact us.

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