2000
#8,903
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,380
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.25
Rare Last name
Severance
An occupational surname referring to a woodcutter or someone who severs wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,757 Americans carry the last name Severance. That puts it at #9,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,231 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Severance 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
3.8K
1 in 91,231
Census rank
#9,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,276 bearers of the surname Severance in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Severance, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Severance
The surname Severance originated in England during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "severance," which means "separation" or "parting." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a boundary or division between two areas or properties.
One of the earliest known records of the name Severance is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1297, where it appears as "Severaunce." This suggests that the name was already established in that region by the late 13th century.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms, such as "Severans" and "Severaunce," in records from Lincolnshire and Norfolk. These variations reflect the fluid nature of spelling during that time.
The Severance name can also be traced back to the village of Severn in Gloucestershire, which itself derives its name from the River Severn. This connection implies that some early bearers of the surname may have originated from or resided near this area.
One notable figure bearing the Severance surname was John Severance (c. 1597-1671), an early settler in New England who arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638. He is considered one of the founders of the town of Salisbury, Massachusetts.
Another prominent individual was Daniel Severance (1755-1825), an American Revolutionary War soldier who served in the Battle of Bunker Hill and later became a prominent industrialist in New Hampshire.
In the 19th century, the Severance family gained prominence in Ohio, with John Long Severance (1808-1879) establishing himself as a successful businessman and philanthropist in Cleveland. His son, Louis Henry Severance (1838-1913), continued the family's legacy and donated funds to establish the Severance Hall, which became home to the Cleveland Orchestra.
Other notable figures with the Severance surname include Mary Esther Severance (1833-1913), an American philanthropist and advocate for women's rights, and George Andrew Severance (1826-1888), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War.
Throughout its history, the Severance surname has maintained its connection to its Old French roots, reflecting the notion of separation or division, while also being associated with various locations and prominent individuals across different eras.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Severance
Among Census respondents with the surname Severance, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Severance 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 Severance surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 2,979
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 111
- Two or more races3.0% · 98
- Black or African American1.2% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Severance
Severance 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
#9,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,456
+76 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 504 places
2020
#9,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,276
-180 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 88 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,903 | 3,380 | 1.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,407 | 3,456 | 1.17 | +76 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 504 places |
| 2020 | #9,495 | 3,276 | 1.10 | -180 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 88 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 Severance 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 | #9,407 | #9,495 | -0.9% |
| Count | 3,456 | 3,276 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.10 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Severance bearers went from 3,456 to 3,276 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 88 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,407 to #9,495.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Severance
FAQ
Severance surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Severance?
Name Census estimates that about 3,757 living Americans carry the surname Severance. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,231 residents.
How common is Severance?
Severance ranks #9,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 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 3,276 people with the surname Severance. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,757), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 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 Severance.
Has Severance become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Severance went from 3,456 recorded bearers to 3,276. That is a decrease of 180 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,407 to #9,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Severance?
Among Census respondents with the surname Severance, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Severance in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (2,979 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Severance appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Severance (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 Severance mean?
An occupational surname referring to a woodcutter or someone who severs wood. 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 Severance (1.10 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 surname Severance?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.