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

Severson, 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 Severson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Severson in America

Severson is the 3436th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Severson surname appeared 10,391 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Severson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Severson 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 Severson

The surname Severson originated in Scandinavia, particularly in Norway and Sweden, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse name Sævari, which means "sea warrior" or "sailor". The name likely emerged as a descriptive surname for individuals who were seafarers or lived in coastal regions.

Variations of the name can be found in historical records from the 13th century onwards, including spellings such as Saeverson, Sæverson, and Sævarsson. The name's early roots can be traced to the Viking Age, when Norsemen were renowned for their seafaring prowess and exploration of new lands.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Severson can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian documents. In the year 1342, a man named Sigurd Severson is mentioned as a landowner in the region of Trøndelag, Norway.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, as Scandinavian emigration to the Americas increased, the surname Severson began to appear in colonial records. Notable individuals bearing this name include Lars Severson, a Swedish settler who arrived in Delaware in 1638, and Nils Severson, a Norwegian farmer who established a homestead in Minnesota in the 1850s.

In the 19th century, the Severson surname gained prominence in the United States. Johan Severson (1813-1892), a Norwegian immigrant, became a successful businessman and landowner in Wisconsin. His son, Andrew Severson (1845-1923), was a prominent politician who served as the 20th Governor of Wisconsin from 1911 to 1915.

Another notable figure with the Severson surname was Inga Severson (1876-1964), a Norwegian-American educator and activist. She was a pioneer in the field of vocational education and played a crucial role in establishing programs for women's education and training in Minnesota.

Lastly, Carl Severson (1901-1988), a Norwegian-American artist, gained recognition for his landscape paintings depicting the rugged beauty of the Pacific Northwest. His works are held in the collections of various museums and galleries across the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Severson

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

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 Severson 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 Severson 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 Severson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!