2000
#16,471
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,607
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.60
Rare Last name
Severe
A surname possibly derived from the Latin severus, meaning "stern" or "serious".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,215 Americans carry the last name Severe. That puts it at #14,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,742 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Severe 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
2.2K
1 in 154,742
Census rank
#14,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,932 bearers of the surname Severe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Severe, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.3%. The next largest groups are White (41.6%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Severe
The surname Severe originated in France, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old French word "sévère," meaning stern or serious. The name likely originated as a nickname for someone with a severe or stern demeanor.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the 14th century records of the village of Sévérac, located in the Aveyron region of southern France. The name is thought to have spread from this area to other parts of France and eventually to other parts of Europe.
In the 16th century, Jean Severe was a notable French jurist and author, born in Aix-en-Provence in 1520. He wrote several legal treatises and served as a judge in the Parlement of Provence.
Another historical figure with the surname Severe was Jacques Severe, a Jesuit priest and missionary born in Normandy, France in 1587. He spent many years working as a missionary in New France (modern-day Canada and the United States), and was instrumental in establishing several missions among the Native American tribes.
In England, the name Severe can be traced back to the 17th century, possibly derived from French Huguenot immigrants fleeing religious persecution. One notable individual was Thomas Severe, a merchant and member of the East India Company, who lived in London in the late 1600s.
Another Englishman with the surname Severe was William Severe, a Royal Navy captain who served during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. He was born in 1775 and is recorded as commanding several ships during his naval career.
In the United States, the Severe name can be found in records dating back to the 18th century, likely brought over by French and English immigrants. One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Pierre Severe, a French settler who arrived in Louisiana in the 1720s and established a plantation near New Orleans.
Overall, the surname Severe has a long and diverse history, with roots tracing back to medieval France and spreading to various parts of Europe and North America over the centuries. While not a common name, it has been carried by notable individuals in various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Severe
Among Census respondents with the surname Severe, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.3%. The next largest groups are White (41.6%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Severe 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 Severe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American49.3% · 953
- White41.6% · 804
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 81
- Two or more races3.4% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Severe
Severe 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
#15,409
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,901
+294 bearers (+18.3%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 1,062 places
2020
#14,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,932
+31 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 652 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,471 | 1,607 | 0.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,409 | 1,901 | 0.64 | +294 bearers (+18.3%) | Up 1,062 places |
| 2020 | #14,757 | 1,932 | 0.65 | +31 bearers (+1.6%) | Up 652 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 Severe 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 | #15,409 | #14,757 | 4.2% |
| Count | 1,901 | 1,932 | 1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.65 | 1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Severe bearers went from 1,901 to 1,932 (+1.6% change). The surname moved up 652 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,409 to #14,757.
FAQ
Severe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Severe?
Name Census estimates that about 2,215 living Americans carry the surname Severe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,742 residents.
How common is Severe?
Severe ranks #14,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,932 people with the surname Severe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,215), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Severe.
Has Severe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Severe went from 1,901 recorded bearers to 1,932. That is an increase of 31 (+1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,409 to #14,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Severe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Severe, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.3%. The next largest groups are White (41.6%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Severe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.3% (953 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Severe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (49.3%), White (41.6%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Severe (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 Severe mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Latin severus, meaning "stern" or "serious". 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 Severe (0.65 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 Severe?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.