2000
#11,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,485
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Steverson
An English occupational surname derived from the given name Steven or Stephen, referring to a son of Steven.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,651 Americans carry the last name Steverson. That puts it at #12,747 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 129,292 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Steverson 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 Steverson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 129,292
Census rank
#12,747
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,312 bearers of the surname Steverson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12747th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Steverson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 44.6%. The next largest groups are White (44.5%) and Two or More Races (6.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Steverson
The surname Steverson has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic name "Steabhairnean," which means "one who lives near the stream." The name was initially concentrated in the Highlands region of Scotland, particularly in the areas around Inverness and Aberdeenshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Steverson can be found in the Scottish Parish Records of the late 1500s. The records mention a family with the surname Steverson residing in the parish of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. This suggests that the name had already spread from the Highlands to other parts of Scotland by that time.
In the 17th century, there are records of a notable figure named John Steverson (1620-1687), who was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Glasgow. He played a significant role in the city's economic development during that period.
The earliest known spelling variation of the name was "Stephanson," which appeared in the Scottish Exchequer Rolls of 1528. This spelling likely evolved from the Gaelic "Steabhairnean" and was later anglicized to "Steverson."
During the 18th century, the surname Steverson began to appear in historical records beyond Scotland. One notable individual was Robert Steverson (1745-1823), an English scholar and writer who authored several works on Scottish history and literature. He was born in Edinburgh but spent much of his life in London, where he gained recognition for his scholarly pursuits.
Another notable bearer of the name was Mary Steverson (1786-1865), a Scottish painter known for her portraits and landscapes. She was born in Aberdeenshire and received training from renowned artists of the time, becoming a respected figure in the Scottish art world.
In the 19th century, the Steverson family played a role in the colonization efforts of the British Empire. William Steverson (1810-1879) was a British colonial administrator who served in various parts of Africa and Asia, including India and South Africa.
As the Steverson family spread across the globe, the name appeared in various historical records and manuscripts, reflecting their involvement in different spheres of society, from business and academia to the arts and colonial administration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Steverson
Among Census respondents with the surname Steverson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 44.6%. The next largest groups are White (44.5%) and Two or More Races (6.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Steverson 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 Steverson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American44.6% · 1,032
- White44.5% · 1,028
- Two or more races6.5% · 150
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Steverson
Steverson 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
#11,877
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,636
+151 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 287 places
2020
#12,747
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,312
-324 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 870 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,590 | 2,485 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,877 | 2,636 | 0.89 | +151 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 287 places |
| 2020 | #12,747 | 2,312 | 0.77 | -324 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 870 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 Steverson 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 | #11,877 | #12,747 | -7.3% |
| Count | 2,636 | 2,312 | -12.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.77 | -13.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Steverson bearers went from 2,636 to 2,312 (-12.3% change). The surname moved down 870 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,877 to #12,747.
FAQ
Steverson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Steverson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,651 living Americans carry the surname Steverson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 129,292 residents.
How common is Steverson?
Steverson ranks #12,747 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,312 people with the surname Steverson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,651), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Steverson.
Has Steverson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Steverson went from 2,636 recorded bearers to 2,312. That is a decrease of 324 (-12.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,877 to #12,747.
What does the Census say about the background of Steverson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Steverson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 44.6%. The next largest groups are White (44.5%) and Two or More Races (6.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Steverson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.6% (1,032 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Steverson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (44.6%), White (44.5%), Two or More Races (6.5%). 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 Steverson (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 Steverson mean?
An English occupational surname derived from the given name Steven or Stephen, referring to a son of Steven. 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 Steverson (0.77 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 Steverson?
See how many people have the surname Steverson on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.