2000
#19,128
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,315
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.49
Rare Last name
Givan
A surname derived from the given name "Gib" or "Gilbert."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,461 Americans carry the last name Givan. That puts it at #20,975 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 234,603 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Givan 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 Givan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.5K
1 in 234,603
Census rank
#20,975
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,274 bearers of the surname Givan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20975th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Givan, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.1%. The next largest groups are Black (42.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Givan
The surname Givan is of Scottish origin, stemming from the Gaelic name Giobhunnaich, which translates to "the descendants of Giobhunna." The name Giobhunna itself is derived from the Gaelic personal name Giobhun or Gibbon.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Givan date back to the 16th century in the Scottish counties of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire. It is believed that the name originated in these regions and then spread to other parts of Scotland and beyond.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname Givan was John Givan, who was mentioned in the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland in 1584. Another early record is of Robert Givan, who was listed in the Commissariot Record of Glasgow in 1613.
The Givan surname can also be found in various Scottish historical documents, such as the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. However, the name Givan does not appear in this particular document.
In the 17th century, the Givan family established themselves as landowners in the parish of Muirkirk, East Ayrshire. A notable member of this family was John Givan (1684-1755), who served as the minister of Sorn Parish Church in Ayrshire.
Another prominent figure with the surname Givan was Robert Givan (1792-1871), a Scottish-born merchant and banker who immigrated to Canada in the early 19th century. He became a successful businessman and philanthropist in the city of Montreal.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded Givans was John Givan (1763-1845), a Presbyterian minister who immigrated from Ireland and settled in Pennsylvania. He served as the president of Franklin College in Ohio from 1825 to 1845.
The name Givan has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Givanmilton and Givanburn, both of which are located in East Ayrshire. These place names likely derived from the Givan surname or from the personal name Giobhun.
Throughout history, the surname Givan has been spelled in various ways, including Givane, Givin, Givine, and Givens. These variations reflect the evolution of the name over time and the influence of different regional dialects and scribal practices.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Givan
Among Census respondents with the surname Givan, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.1%. The next largest groups are Black (42.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Givan 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 Givan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.1% · 626
- Black or African American42.8% · 545
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 49
- Two or more races3.6% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Givan
Givan 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
#19,527
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,383
+68 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.47
Rank movement Down 399 places
2020
#20,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,274
-109 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Down 1,448 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,128 | 1,315 | 0.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,527 | 1,383 | 0.47 | +68 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 399 places |
| 2020 | #20,975 | 1,274 | 0.43 | -109 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 1,448 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 Givan 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 | #19,527 | #20,975 | -7.4% |
| Count | 1,383 | 1,274 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.47 | 0.43 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Givan bearers went from 1,383 to 1,274 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 1,448 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,527 to #20,975.
FAQ
Givan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Givan?
Name Census estimates that about 1,461 living Americans carry the surname Givan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 234,603 residents.
How common is Givan?
Givan ranks #20,975 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,274 people with the surname Givan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,461), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Givan.
Has Givan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Givan went from 1,383 recorded bearers to 1,274. That is a decrease of 109 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #19,527 to #20,975.
What does the Census say about the background of Givan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Givan, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.1%. The next largest groups are Black (42.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Givan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.1% (626 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Givan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.1%), Black (42.8%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Givan (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 Givan mean?
A surname derived from the given name "Gib" or "Gilbert." 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 Givan (0.43 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 Givan?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Givan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.