2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sevening
A surname potentially related to the number seven or a derivative meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Sevening. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sevening 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Sevening in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sevening, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sevening
The surname "SEVENING" is believed to have originated in the northern region of England, specifically in the county of Yorkshire, during the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "sefening," which referred to the evening or twilight hours.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, where a person named John Sevening is listed as a resident of the village of Ripley. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time and may have initially referred to someone who worked during the evening hours or lived in an area associated with the evening.
In the 16th century, historical records show variations of the spelling, including "Seveninge" and "Seveningge." These variations were likely due to the inconsistencies in spelling and pronunciation during that era.
A notable figure bearing this surname was William Sevening, a merchant and landowner who lived in the city of York in the late 16th century. Records indicate that he owned several properties in the city and was involved in trade with other parts of England and Europe.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Thomas Sevening, a scholar and theologian who lived in the early 17th century. He was educated at the University of Cambridge and later became a rector in the village of Kirkby Malzeard, Yorkshire.
In the 18th century, the name appeared in various parish records and documents across Yorkshire and neighboring counties. One example is John Sevening, who was born in 1712 in the village of Masham and later became a farmer and landowner.
While the surname "SEVENING" is not among the most common in England, it has been carried by individuals throughout history, including Elizabeth Sevening, a writer and poet who lived in the 19th century and published several works of poetry and prose.
It is worth noting that the name "SEVENING" does not appear to be associated with any specific place names or geographical locations, suggesting that its origin is more closely tied to an occupation or descriptive term related to the evening hours.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sevening
Among Census respondents with the surname Sevening, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sevening 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 Sevening surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 4
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sevening
Sevening appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+11 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,086 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 8,086 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 Sevening 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 | #149,395 | #141,309 | 5.4% |
| Count | 110 | 121 | 10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sevening bearers went from 110 to 121 (+10.0% change). The surname moved up 8,086 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #141,309.
FAQ
Sevening surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sevening?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Sevening. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Sevening?
Sevening ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Sevening. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Sevening.
Has Sevening become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sevening went from 110 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 11 (+10.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Sevening?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sevening, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Sevening in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sevening appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Sevening (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 Sevening mean?
A surname potentially related to the number seven or a derivative meaning. 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 Sevening (0.04 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 are called Sevening?
Want to know how common the surname Sevening is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.