2000
#10,483
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,810
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Sevier
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or user of sieves.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,168 Americans carry the last name Sevier. That puts it at #10,993 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,193 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sevier 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sevier with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 108,193
Census rank
#10,993
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,763 bearers of the surname Sevier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10993rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sevier, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.6%) and Black (9.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sevier
The surname Sevier has its origins in France, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "sévère," meaning "severe" or "stern." This name was likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a serious or strict demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Sevier name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners in England following the Norman Conquest. This suggests that the name had already been established in France and was brought over to England by Norman settlers.
During the Middle Ages, the Sevier name was primarily concentrated in the regions of Normandy and Brittany in northwestern France. Variations in spelling, such as Seviere, Sevierre, and Sévière, were common due to the inconsistencies in record-keeping during that time.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Jacques Sevier (1230-1298) was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Rouen, Normandy. Records indicate that he was involved in the local government and held influential positions within the city's guilds.
Another historical reference to the Sevier name can be found in the Hundred Years' War between England and France (1337-1453). Jean Sevier (1380-1445) was a French soldier who fought alongside Joan of Arc and was present at the Siege of Orléans in 1429, a pivotal battle that turned the tide of the war in favor of the French.
As the name spread beyond France, it also became associated with various place names. For instance, Sévrier is a commune in the Haute-Savoie region of eastern France, and Sévérac-le-Château is a town in the Aveyron department of southern France, both of which may have influenced the surname's evolution.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Pierre Sevier (1520-1588) was a Huguenot (French Protestant) scholar and writer who fled religious persecution in France and sought refuge in Geneva, Switzerland. His works on theology and philosophy were highly regarded during the Protestant Reformation.
During the 18th century, John Sevier (1745-1815) was a renowned American soldier, frontiersman, and one of the founders of the state of Tennessee. Born in Virginia, he played a crucial role in the Revolutionary War and later served as the first governor of the Southwest Territory (which later became Tennessee).
Another notable figure with the Sevier surname was Albert Sevier (1786-1848), a French-American military officer who served in the War of 1812 and later became a successful businessman and politician in Arkansas, serving as a state senator and as the state's treasurer.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sevier
Among Census respondents with the surname Sevier, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.6%) and Black (9.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Sevier 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 Sevier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.3% · 2,053
- Hispanic or Latino9.6% · 266
- Black or African American9.6% · 265
- Two or more races4.5% · 124
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sevier
Sevier 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
#10,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,953
+143 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 314 places
2020
#10,993
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,763
-190 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 196 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,483 | 2,810 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,797 | 2,953 | 1.00 | +143 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 314 places |
| 2020 | #10,993 | 2,763 | 0.92 | -190 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 196 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 Sevier 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 | #10,797 | #10,993 | -1.8% |
| Count | 2,953 | 2,763 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.92 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sevier bearers went from 2,953 to 2,763 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 196 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,797 to #10,993.
FAQ
Sevier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sevier?
Name Census estimates that about 3,168 living Americans carry the surname Sevier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,193 residents.
How common is Sevier?
Sevier ranks #10,993 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,763 people with the surname Sevier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,168), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Sevier.
Has Sevier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sevier went from 2,953 recorded bearers to 2,763. That is a decrease of 190 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,797 to #10,993.
What does the Census say about the background of Sevier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sevier, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.6%) and Black (9.6%). 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 Sevier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.3% (2,053 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sevier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.3%), Hispanic (9.6%), Black (9.6%). 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 Sevier (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 Sevier mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or user of sieves. 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 Sevier (0.92 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 Americans have the surname Sevier?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.