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

Sommerville, 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 Sommerville surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sommerville in America

Sommerville is the 12095th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sommerville surname appeared 2,577 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Sommerville.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sommerville 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 Sommerville

The surname Sommerville originates from the Scottish Borders region, deriving its name from the lands of Somerville near West Calder in West Lothian, Scotland. The name is believed to have emerged in the 12th century, with the earliest recorded spelling being "de Sumervill" in 1165.

The name Sommerville is thought to be derived from the Old English words "sumer" meaning summer and "feld" meaning field or open land, suggesting that the name likely referred to a summer pasture or dwelling place. Variants of the spelling include Somervill, Somerville, and Sommervile.

One of the earliest references to the Sommerville name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. In this document, the name appears as "Thomas de Somervill" and "Walter de Somervill."

In the 14th century, Sir Walter de Somerville was a prominent Scottish noble who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence. He was granted lands in Lanarkshire for his loyalty and bravery.

Another notable figure was Sir John Somerville, who was born around 1370 and served as Lord of Carnwath. He played a significant role in the negotiations for the release of King James I of Scotland after his captivity in England.

In the 16th century, James Somerville (1504-1565) was a Scottish Protestant reformer and ambassador to France. He was appointed Clerk Register to the Privy Council of Scotland and was influential in the spread of Protestantism in Scotland.

During the 17th century, William Somerville (1675-1742) was a renowned English poet and author, best known for his work "The Chase," a poetic celebration of hunting. He was also a member of the Royal Society and a Justice of the Peace in Warwickshire.

Another notable figure was Mary Somerville (1780-1872), a Scottish science writer and pioneer in the field of science education. She was one of the first women to be admitted to the Royal Astronomical Society and made significant contributions to the popularization of science through her writings.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sommerville

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sommerville, 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!