2000
#2,168
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,366
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.70
Uncommon Last name
Iverson
Derived from the Scandinavian given name Ivarr, combined with the patronymic suffix -son, meaning "son of Ivarr."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,086 Americans carry the last name Iverson. That puts it at #2,389 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,061 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Iverson 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 Iverson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 20,061
Census rank
#2,389
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,900 bearers of the surname Iverson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2389th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Iverson, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Iverson
The surname Iverson originated in Scandinavia, deriving from the Old Norse personal name "Ivarr" or "Ívarr". This name was a compound of the elements "yr" meaning yew tree and "arr" meaning warrior or archer. It was a popular name among the Vikings and Norse settlers.
In the 9th and 10th centuries, many Norsemen settled in areas of northern England, particularly in Yorkshire and Cumbria. It is believed that the surname Iverson emerged in these regions as a patronymic name, indicating "son of Ivar". Early spellings of the name included Iversonne, Iversun, and Iverson.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Iverson can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners in England after the Norman Conquest. The entry "Iverson de Torfin" referred to a person whose father was named Ivar.
In the 13th century, the name Iverson appeared in the Cumbrian Pipe Rolls of 1292, which recorded tax payments. The entry "Adam Iverson" indicated a person bearing the surname Iverson living in Cumbria during that time.
Notable individuals with the surname Iverson throughout history include:
1. Ivar Iverson (c. 1300-1370), a Norwegian landowner and chieftain in the Lofoten Islands.
2. Johanna Iverson (1490-1562), a Swedish noblewoman and landowner in Dalarna.
3. Nils Iverson (1655-1718), a Danish sailor and explorer who accompanied Vitus Bering on his voyages to the Arctic.
4. Alfred Iverson (1798-1873), an American politician and Confederate general during the American Civil War.
5. Alfred Iverson Jr. (1822-1889), an American lawyer and soldier who served as a Confederate officer during the American Civil War.
The surname Iverson has also been associated with various place names, such as Iverson's Mill in Virginia, which was named after a family of Iversons who owned a mill there in the 18th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Iverson
Among Census respondents with the surname Iverson, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Iverson 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 Iverson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 12,584
- Black or African American7.8% · 1,160
- Two or more races3.3% · 498
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 494
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 103
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 61
Timeline
Historical Census data for Iverson
Iverson 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
#2,346
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,539
+173 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 5.27
Rank movement Down 178 places
2020
#2,389
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,900
-639 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 4.98
Rank movement Down 43 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,168 | 15,366 | 5.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,346 | 15,539 | 5.27 | +173 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 178 places |
| 2020 | #2,389 | 14,900 | 4.98 | -639 bearers (-4.1%) | 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 Iverson 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 | #2,346 | #2,389 | -1.8% |
| Count | 15,539 | 14,900 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.27 | 4.98 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Iverson bearers went from 15,539 to 14,900 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 43 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,346 to #2,389.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Iverson
FAQ
Iverson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Iverson?
Name Census estimates that about 17,086 living Americans carry the surname Iverson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,061 residents.
How common is Iverson?
Iverson ranks #2,389 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,900 people with the surname Iverson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,086), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Iverson.
Has Iverson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Iverson went from 15,539 recorded bearers to 14,900. That is a decrease of 639 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,346 to #2,389.
What does the Census say about the background of Iverson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Iverson, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Iverson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (12,584 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Iverson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Black (7.8%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Iverson (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 Iverson mean?
Derived from the Scandinavian given name Ivarr, combined with the patronymic suffix -son, meaning "son of Ivarr." 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 Iverson (4.98 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 share the surname Iverson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.