2000
#5,015
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,419
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.38
Rare Last name
Somerville
From the Old French "somer" meaning summer and "ville" meaning town, referring to a pleasant summer settlement.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,263 Americans carry the last name Somerville. That puts it at #5,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,192 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Somerville 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 Somerville with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.3K
1 in 47,192
Census rank
#5,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,334 bearers of the surname Somerville in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Somerville, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (27.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Somerville
The surname Somerville is of English origin, derived from the place name Somerville, a parish in Wiltshire, England. The name is believed to have originated in the late 11th or early 12th century, after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
The name Somerville is formed from the Old English words "sumor," meaning summer, and "feld," meaning a field or open land. It likely referred to a specific area or settlement where crops were grown during the summer months. The earliest recorded spelling of the place name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Summerfeld."
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname was Robert de Somervile, a Norman knight who lived in the 12th century. He was granted lands in Staffordshire, England, and his descendants adopted the surname Somerville. Another early mention of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1190, where a Richard de Somervile is listed.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Somerville. Sir John Somerville (1560-1583) was an English soldier and courtier who served under Queen Elizabeth I. William Somerville (1675-1742) was a Scottish poet best known for his work "The Chase," a poem about hunting. Mary Somerville (1780-1872) was a Scottish science writer and pioneering female scientist, renowned for her work in mathematics and astronomy.
Other notable Somervilles include Graham Somerville (1915-1994), an English actor and playwright, and Sir Iain Somerville (1917-1985), a British naval officer who served during World War II and later became a successful businessman.
The Somerville family also played a significant role in the colonization of America. Sir James Somerville (1672-1741) was a British naval officer who served as the first royal governor of the Bahamas from 1701 to 1704. His descendants settled in various parts of the American colonies, contributing to the spread of the surname across the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Somerville
Among Census respondents with the surname Somerville, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (27.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Somerville 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 Somerville surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.4% · 4,142
- Black or African American27.3% · 1,727
- Two or more races3.4% · 215
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 189
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Somerville
Somerville 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
#5,199
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,721
+302 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 2.28
Rank movement Down 184 places
2020
#5,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,334
-387 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 2.12
Rank movement Down 110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,015 | 6,419 | 2.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,199 | 6,721 | 2.28 | +302 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 184 places |
| 2020 | #5,309 | 6,334 | 2.12 | -387 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 110 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 Somerville 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 | #5,199 | #5,309 | -2.1% |
| Count | 6,721 | 6,334 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.28 | 2.12 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Somerville bearers went from 6,721 to 6,334 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 110 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,199 to #5,309.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Somerville
FAQ
Somerville surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Somerville?
Name Census estimates that about 7,263 living Americans carry the surname Somerville. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,192 residents.
How common is Somerville?
Somerville ranks #5,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.12 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 6,334 people with the surname Somerville. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,263), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.12 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 Somerville.
Has Somerville become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Somerville went from 6,721 recorded bearers to 6,334. That is a decrease of 387 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,199 to #5,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Somerville?
Among Census respondents with the surname Somerville, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (27.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Somerville in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.4% (4,142 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Somerville appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.4%), Black (27.3%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Somerville (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 Somerville mean?
From the Old French "somer" meaning summer and "ville" meaning town, referring to a pleasant summer settlement. 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 Somerville (2.12 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 Somerville?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.