2000
#4,258
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,698
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.85
Rare Last name
Travers
One who lived near a bridge or river crossing, from the Old French word "traverse" meaning "to cross."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,301 Americans carry the last name Travers. That puts it at #4,741 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,291 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Travers 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 Travers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.3K
1 in 41,291
Census rank
#4,741
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,239 bearers of the surname Travers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4741st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Travers, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Travers
The surname Travers originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "travers," meaning "across" or "transverse." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a crossroads or across a river.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert Travers, mentioned in the Doomesday Book of 1086, which recorded landowners in England after the Norman Conquest. This suggests that the Travers family may have accompanied William the Conqueror from Normandy to England.
In the 12th century, a branch of the Travers family settled in the village of Travers in Normandy, France. This place name, from which they likely took their surname, is believed to be derived from the same Old French root word.
A notable early figure with the Travers surname was Sir Walter Travers (1548-1635), an English Puritan theologian and controversialist. He was involved in the Hampton Court Conference of 1604, where he argued for further reforms in the Church of England.
Another significant individual was Benjamin Travers (1783-1858), an English surgeon who made important contributions to the field of ophthalmology. He was the first to describe the condition now known as Travers' fracture, a specific type of eye socket fracture.
In the literary world, Mary Travers (1936-2009) was an American singer-songwriter and member of the famous folk music group Peter, Paul, and Mary. She was known for her powerful vocals and her advocacy for social and political causes.
During the American Revolution, Reuben Travers (1740-1823) served as a colonel in the Continental Army and fought in several battles, including the Battle of Monmouth and the Siege of Yorktown.
The Travers name has also been associated with notable places, such as the Travers Stakes, a prestigious annual horse race held at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, since 1864.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Travers
Among Census respondents with the surname Travers, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Travers 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 Travers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.2% · 5,803
- Black or African American11.0% · 796
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 315
- Two or more races3.7% · 265
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Travers
Travers 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
#4,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,833
+135 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 2.66
Rank movement Down 267 places
2020
#4,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,239
-594 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 2.42
Rank movement Down 216 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,258 | 7,698 | 2.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,525 | 7,833 | 2.66 | +135 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 267 places |
| 2020 | #4,741 | 7,239 | 2.42 | -594 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 216 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 Travers 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 | #4,525 | #4,741 | -4.8% |
| Count | 7,833 | 7,239 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.66 | 2.42 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Travers bearers went from 7,833 to 7,239 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 216 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,525 to #4,741.
FAQ
Travers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Travers?
Name Census estimates that about 8,301 living Americans carry the surname Travers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,291 residents.
How common is Travers?
Travers ranks #4,741 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.42 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 7,239 people with the surname Travers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,301), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.42 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 Travers.
Has Travers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Travers went from 7,833 recorded bearers to 7,239. That is a decrease of 594 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,525 to #4,741.
What does the Census say about the background of Travers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Travers, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Travers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.2% (5,803 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Travers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.2%), Black (11.0%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Travers (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 Travers mean?
One who lived near a bridge or river crossing, from the Old French word "traverse" meaning "to cross." 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 Travers (2.42 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 have the last name Travers?
You can see how many people have the last name Travers on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.