2000
#3,209
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,214
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.79
Uncommon Last name
Severson
A patronymic surname derived from the Scandinavian personal name Siward or Sigvard, meaning "victorious guardian" or "guardian of victory."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,350 Americans carry the last name Severson. That puts it at #3,517 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,199 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Severson 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
11K
1 in 30,199
Census rank
#3,517
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,898 bearers of the surname Severson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3517th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Severson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Severson
Among Census respondents with the surname Severson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Severson 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 Severson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 9,115
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 296
- Two or more races2.5% · 245
- Black or African American1.1% · 106
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 79
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Severson
Severson 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
#3,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,391
+177 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 3.52
Rank movement Down 227 places
2020
#3,517
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,898
-493 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 3.31
Rank movement Down 81 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,209 | 10,214 | 3.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,436 | 10,391 | 3.52 | +177 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 227 places |
| 2020 | #3,517 | 9,898 | 3.31 | -493 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 81 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 Severson 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 | #3,436 | #3,517 | -2.4% |
| Count | 10,391 | 9,898 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.52 | 3.31 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Severson bearers went from 10,391 to 9,898 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 81 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,436 to #3,517.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Severson
FAQ
Severson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Severson?
Name Census estimates that about 11,350 living Americans carry the surname Severson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,199 residents.
How common is Severson?
Severson ranks #3,517 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,898 people with the surname Severson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,350), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Severson.
Has Severson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Severson went from 10,391 recorded bearers to 9,898. That is a decrease of 493 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,436 to #3,517.
What does the Census say about the background of Severson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Severson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) 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 Severson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (9,115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Severson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.0%), 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 Severson (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 Severson mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the Scandinavian personal name Siward or Sigvard, meaning "victorious guardian" or "guardian of victory." 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 Severson (3.31 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 common is the surname Severson?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Severson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.