2000
#30,383
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 726
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.27
Very Rare Last name
Trevor
A surname derived from a place name in Brittany, France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 789 Americans carry the last name Trevor. That puts it at #35,272 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 434,416 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trevor 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 Trevor with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
789
1 in 434,416
Census rank
#35,272
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
688
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 688 bearers of the surname Trevor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 35272nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trevor, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trevor
The surname Trevor is believed to have originated in Wales during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old Welsh words "tref" meaning town or settlement, and "rhiw" meaning slope or hill. Thus, the name Trevor likely referred to someone who lived in a town located on a hillside or sloping area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Trevor can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Trevour" or "Trevaur". This suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
During the Middle Ages, the Trevor family was based primarily in the Welsh county of Denbighshire, with their ancestral home being Trevor Hall near the village of Trevalyn. The Trevors were a prominent family in the region and held significant landholdings and influence.
In the 14th century, a notable figure with the surname Trevor was John Trevor, who served as the Bishop of St Asaph from 1349 to 1357. Another notable individual was Sir John Trevor (1637-1718), a Welsh judge and politician who served as the Speaker of the House of Commons from 1685 to 1687.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Trevor family expanded their influence and landholdings, with several members holding prominent positions in the British government and military. One notable figure was Thomas Trevor (1658-1730), who served as the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1718 until his death.
Another influential individual was Arthur Hill-Trevor (1695-1768), who was created the 1st Viscount Dungannon in 1766. His grandson, Arthur Hill-Trevor (1763-1837), served as the Governor of Virginia from 1797 to 1805 and later became the 3rd Viscount Dungannon.
In more recent times, notable individuals with the surname Trevor include the American actor and comedian Bob Trevor (1918-2003), as well as the British actor and director John Trevor (1937-2017).
Overall, the surname Trevor has a long and rich history, with its origins rooted in the Welsh countryside and its prominence spanning across various fields, including politics, law, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trevor
Among Census respondents with the surname Trevor, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Trevor 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 Trevor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 585
- Two or more races4.4% · 30
- Black or African American4.2% · 29
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trevor
Trevor 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
#32,900
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 697
-29 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 2,517 places
2020
#35,272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 688
-9 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 2,372 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,383 | 726 | 0.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,900 | 697 | 0.24 | -29 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 2,517 places |
| 2020 | #35,272 | 688 | 0.23 | -9 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 2,372 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 Trevor 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 | #32,900 | #35,272 | -7.2% |
| Count | 697 | 688 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.23 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trevor bearers went from 697 to 688 (-1.3% change). The surname moved down 2,372 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,900 to #35,272.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Trevor
FAQ
Trevor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trevor?
Name Census estimates that about 789 living Americans carry the surname Trevor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 434,416 residents.
How common is Trevor?
Trevor ranks #35,272 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 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 688 people with the surname Trevor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (789), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 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 Trevor.
Has Trevor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trevor went from 697 recorded bearers to 688. That is a decrease of 9 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,900 to #35,272.
What does the Census say about the background of Trevor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trevor, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (4.2%). 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 Trevor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (585 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trevor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Black (4.2%). 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 Trevor (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 Trevor mean?
A surname derived from a place name in Brittany, France. 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 Trevor (0.23 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 Americans have the surname Trevor?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.