2000
#6,588
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,744
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.76
Rare Last name
Summerville
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "summer town" or "summer settlement."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,422 Americans carry the last name Summerville. That puts it at #6,846 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,215 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Summerville 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 Summerville with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,215
Census rank
#6,846
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,728 bearers of the surname Summerville in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6846th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Summerville, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.6%. The next largest groups are Black (37.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Summerville
Among Census respondents with the surname Summerville, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.6%. The next largest groups are Black (37.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Summerville 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 Summerville surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.6% · 2,485
- Black or African American37.8% · 1,788
- Two or more races4.6% · 219
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 188
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Summerville
Summerville 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
#6,861
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,905
+161 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.66
Rank movement Down 273 places
2020
#6,846
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,728
-177 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Up 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,588 | 4,744 | 1.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,861 | 4,905 | 1.66 | +161 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 273 places |
| 2020 | #6,846 | 4,728 | 1.58 | -177 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 15 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 Summerville 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 | #6,861 | #6,846 | 0.2% |
| Count | 4,905 | 4,728 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.66 | 1.58 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Summerville bearers went from 4,905 to 4,728 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,861 to #6,846.
FAQ
Summerville surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Summerville?
Name Census estimates that about 5,422 living Americans carry the surname Summerville. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,215 residents.
How common is Summerville?
Summerville ranks #6,846 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,728 people with the surname Summerville. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,422), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Summerville.
Has Summerville become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Summerville went from 4,905 recorded bearers to 4,728. That is a decrease of 177 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,861 to #6,846.
What does the Census say about the background of Summerville?
Among Census respondents with the surname Summerville, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.6%. The next largest groups are Black (37.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Summerville in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.6% (2,485 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Summerville appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.6%), Black (37.8%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Summerville (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 Summerville mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "summer town" or "summer settlement." 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 Summerville (1.58 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 are called Summerville?
You can see how many people have the last name Summerville on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.