2000
#960
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,339
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.36
Uncommon Last name
Travis
An English occupational surname for a gate keeper or toll collector, derived from the Old French "travers".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 38,021 Americans carry the last name Travis. That puts it at #1,041 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,015 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Travis 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 Travis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
38K
1 in 9,015
Census rank
#1,041
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
33K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 33,156 bearers of the surname Travis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1041st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Travis, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.8%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Travis
The surname Travis is believed to have originated in France, derived from the Old French word "travers," which means "crosswise" or "oblique." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a crossroads or a winding path.
In the early 12th century, the surname was recorded in various forms, such as "de Travers" or "de Trauers," indicating a placename origin. The first recorded instance of the surname was in Normandy, France, around 1180, when a man named Radulfus de Travers was mentioned in a legal document.
The name Travis made its way to England after the Norman Conquest in 1066, when many French nobles and their families settled in the country. One of the earliest recorded Englishmen with the surname Travis was William de Travers, who lived in Leicestershire in the late 12th century.
During the Middle Ages, the Travis family held lands and properties in various parts of England, including Northamptonshire, Gloucestershire, and Yorkshire. One notable member of the family was Sir John Travis (c. 1380-1452), a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War and was rewarded with lands in Somersetshire.
In the 16th century, the surname Travis began to appear in its modern spelling, as seen in the records of John Travis (c. 1520-1590), a wealthy merchant from Bristol. Another prominent figure was Thomas Travis (1595-1654), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
As the Travis family spread across England, variations of the surname emerged, such as Traviss, Travers, and Travas. One notable individual was Benjamin Travers (1783-1858), a British surgeon and anatomist who made significant contributions to the field of medicine.
Other historical figures with the surname Travis include:
1. Meriwether Travis (1809-1836), an American lawyer and soldier who commanded the Texian forces at the Battle of the Alamo.
2. William Barrett Travis (1809-1836), an American lawyer and soldier who also fought and died at the Alamo alongside his cousin Meriwether Travis.
3. William Pitt Travis (1864-1935), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Senator from Kentucky.
4. Walter Travis (1862-1927), an Australian-born American amateur golfer and course architect, known for his contributions to the game of golf.
5. Thomas Travis (1786-1859), an English engraver and painter who produced numerous portraits and historical scenes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Travis
Among Census respondents with the surname Travis, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.8%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Travis 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 Travis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.8% · 23,138
- Black or African American21.0% · 6,973
- Two or more races4.4% · 1,460
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 1,171
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 254
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 160
Timeline
Historical Census data for Travis
Travis 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
#998
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,985
+1,646 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 11.86
Rank movement Down 38 places
2020
#1,041
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,156
-1,829 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 11.09
Rank movement Down 43 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #960 | 33,339 | 12.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #998 | 34,985 | 11.86 | +1,646 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 38 places |
| 2020 | #1,041 | 33,156 | 11.09 | -1,829 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 43 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 Travis 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 | #998 | #1,041 | -4.3% |
| Count | 34,985 | 33,156 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 11.86 | 11.09 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Travis bearers went from 34,985 to 33,156 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 43 positions in the national ranking, going from #998 to #1,041.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Travis
FAQ
Travis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Travis?
Name Census estimates that about 38,021 living Americans carry the surname Travis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,015 residents.
How common is Travis?
Travis ranks #1,041 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 33,156 people with the surname Travis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (38,021), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Travis.
Has Travis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Travis went from 34,985 recorded bearers to 33,156. That is a decrease of 1,829 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #998 to #1,041.
What does the Census say about the background of Travis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Travis, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.8%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Two or More Races (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 Travis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.8% (23,138 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Travis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.8%), Black (21.0%), Two or More Races (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 Travis (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 Travis mean?
An English occupational surname for a gate keeper or toll collector, derived from the Old French "travers". 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 Travis (11.09 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 Travis?
You can see how many people have the last name Travis on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.