2000
#12,490
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,278
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Syverson
A Scandinavian habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "Sigvarth's son."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,510 Americans carry the last name Syverson. That puts it at #13,326 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,556 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Syverson 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
2.5K
1 in 136,556
Census rank
#13,326
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,189 bearers of the surname Syverson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13326th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Syverson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Syverson
The surname Syverson originates from Norway, emerging during the late Middle Ages or early Renaissance period. It is derived from the Old Norse words "syr," meaning sow or pig, and "garðr," meaning enclosure or farm, suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who raised pigs or lived on a farm where pigs were kept.
Historical records indicate that the name was initially spelled in various ways, such as Syrgarðson, Syrgarðsson, Syrgarson, and Syrgarsson, reflecting the influence of regional dialects and evolving spelling conventions. These early forms eventually coalesced into the modern spelling of Syverson.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian medieval documents dating back to the 13th century. In this collection, a person named Sigurd Syrgarðsson is mentioned in a land transaction record from the year 1348.
The name Syverson has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. In the 16th century, a Norwegian farmer named Torgrim Syverson gained local prominence for his role in a dispute over land rights in the Gudbrandsdalen valley. His descendants continued to use the surname in the region for generations.
Another historical figure bearing the name was Hans Syverson, a 17th-century Norwegian merchant and ship owner who traded extensively with the Netherlands and England. His successful business ventures contributed to the economic growth of the city of Bergen during that period.
In the 19th century, Ole Syverson (1824-1901) was a Norwegian-American pioneer who settled in Minnesota and became a prominent figure in the local Lutheran community, serving as a church leader and educator.
Another notable bearer of the name was Liv Syversen (1911-1992), a Norwegian novelist and playwright whose works explored themes of rural life and the struggles of women in a male-dominated society. Her novel "Folket ved fjorden" (The People by the Fjord) is considered a classic of Norwegian literature.
Additionally, the name Syverson has been associated with several place names in Norway, such as Syversrud, a farm located in the municipality of Ringerike, and Syversborg, a historic estate in the Østfold region.
While the surname Syverson is not among the most common in Norway today, it continues to be carried by individuals with roots in the country, reflecting its enduring connection to Norwegian history and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Syverson
Among Census respondents with the surname Syverson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Syverson 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 Syverson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 2,025
- Two or more races3.2% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Syverson
Syverson 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
#13,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,275
-3 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 901 places
2020
#13,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,189
-86 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,490 | 2,278 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,391 | 2,275 | 0.77 | -3 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 901 places |
| 2020 | #13,326 | 2,189 | 0.73 | -86 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 65 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 Syverson 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 | #13,391 | #13,326 | 0.5% |
| Count | 2,275 | 2,189 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.73 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Syverson bearers went from 2,275 to 2,189 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,391 to #13,326.
FAQ
Syverson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Syverson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,510 living Americans carry the surname Syverson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,556 residents.
How common is Syverson?
Syverson ranks #13,326 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,189 people with the surname Syverson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,510), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Syverson.
Has Syverson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Syverson went from 2,275 recorded bearers to 2,189. That is a decrease of 86 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,391 to #13,326.
What does the Census say about the background of Syverson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Syverson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Syverson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (2,025 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Syverson 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 (3.2%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Syverson (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 Syverson mean?
A Scandinavian habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "Sigvarth's son." 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 Syverson (0.73 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 Syverson?
See how many people are called Syverson on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.