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

Summerville, 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 Summerville surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Summerville in America

Summerville is the 6861st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Summerville surname appeared 4,905 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Summerville.

We can also compare 2010 data for Summerville 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 Summerville

The surname Summerville originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English words "sumor" and "feld," which together mean "summer field." This name likely referred to a person who lived near or owned a field or meadow that was particularly lush and green during the summer months.

One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1208, where a man named Robert de Summerfeld is mentioned. The spelling "Summerville" itself appears to have emerged in the 15th century, as evidenced by a record from 1467 mentioning a John Summerville of Lancashire.

The Summerville name has deep roots in the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Westmorland. Several notable individuals bearing this surname hailed from these regions, including Sir Walter Summerville (1570-1641), a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament for Westmorland.

In the 16th century, the Summerville family established themselves as lords of the manor in the village of Eccleston, Lancashire. One of their descendants, Edward Summerville (1620-1693), was a renowned mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of calculus.

Another notable figure was John Summerville (1780-1856), a respected botanist and horticulturist from Yorkshire, who authored several influential works on gardening and the cultivation of plants.

While the Summerville name is primarily associated with England, it has also been found in Scotland and Ireland, likely due to migration patterns over the centuries. One notable Scottish bearer of this surname was James Summerville (1823-1901), a renowned architect responsible for designing several iconic buildings in Glasgow.

Throughout its history, the Summerville surname has been subject to various spellings, including Somerfield, Somerfeld, and Somervill, reflecting the evolving nature of English orthography over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Summerville

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Summerville, please contact us.

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