2000
#15,720
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,706
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.63
Rare Last name
Sevigny
Of French origin, originally denoting someone from the town of Savigny.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,968 Americans carry the last name Sevigny. That puts it at #16,283 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 174,164 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sevigny 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
2.0K
1 in 174,164
Census rank
#16,283
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,716 bearers of the surname Sevigny in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16283rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sevigny, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sevigny
The surname Sevigny originated in France during the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "Sevigne," which refers to a small village or locality. The name's roots can be traced back to the northern regions of France, particularly Normandy and Brittany.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Sevigny name can be found in a 12th-century document from the Duchy of Normandy. This document mentions a nobleman named Raoul de Sevigne, who was granted lands near the village of the same name for his service to the Duke.
In the 13th century, the name Sevigny appeared in several manuscripts and records related to the French nobility. One notable figure was Jean de Sevigny, a knight who fought alongside King Louis IX during the Seventh Crusade in the Holy Land from 1248 to 1254.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the Sevigny family gained prominence in various regions of France. In 1412, a certain Guillaume de Sevigny was appointed as the Governor of the Château de Chambord, a prestigious position at the time.
One of the most famous figures associated with the Sevigny name is Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise de Sévigné (1626-1696). She was a celebrated French aristocrat and author known for her prolific letter-writing, which provided valuable insights into the social and cultural life of 17th-century France.
Another notable person with the surname Sevigny was Jacques de Sevigny (1640-1719), a French naval officer and explorer. He served as the Governor of Newfoundland and Acadia (present-day Atlantic Canada) and played a crucial role in the colonization efforts of New France.
In the 18th century, the Sevigny family continued to hold influential positions in various parts of France. One example is Pierre-Joseph de Sevigny (1718-1790), a French nobleman and military officer who served as the Governor of Martinique, a French colony in the Caribbean.
Over the centuries, the Sevigny name has been associated with various locations and place names across France. Some examples include Sévigné (a commune in Normandy), Sévigné-sur-Sarthe (a commune in the Pays de la Loire region), and Sévigné-sur-Sarthe (a commune in the Brittany region).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sevigny
Among Census respondents with the surname Sevigny, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sevigny 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 Sevigny surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 1,588
- Two or more races4.4% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sevigny
Sevigny 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
#16,315
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,766
+60 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 595 places
2020
#16,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,716
-50 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Up 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,720 | 1,706 | 0.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,315 | 1,766 | 0.60 | +60 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 595 places |
| 2020 | #16,283 | 1,716 | 0.57 | -50 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 32 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 Sevigny 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 | #16,315 | #16,283 | 0.2% |
| Count | 1,766 | 1,716 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.60 | 0.57 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sevigny bearers went from 1,766 to 1,716 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,315 to #16,283.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sevigny
FAQ
Sevigny surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sevigny?
Name Census estimates that about 1,968 living Americans carry the surname Sevigny. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 174,164 residents.
How common is Sevigny?
Sevigny ranks #16,283 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.57 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 1,716 people with the surname Sevigny. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,968), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.57 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 Sevigny.
Has Sevigny become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sevigny went from 1,766 recorded bearers to 1,716. That is a decrease of 50 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,315 to #16,283.
What does the Census say about the background of Sevigny?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sevigny, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Sevigny in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (1,588 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sevigny appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Sevigny (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 Sevigny mean?
Of French origin, originally denoting someone from the town of Savigny. 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 Sevigny (0.57 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 have the last name Sevigny?
See how many people have the last name Sevigny on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.