NameCensus.

UK surname

Iverson

Derived from the Scandinavian given name Ivarr, combined with the patronymic suffix -son, meaning "son of Ivarr."

In the 1881 census there were 155 people recorded with the Iverson surname, ranking it #15,174 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 192, ranked #20,118, down from #15,174 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Hawkinge, Folkestone and Swaffham Prior. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Dover and Stockton-on-Tees.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Iverson is 246 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 23.9%.

1881 census count

155

Ranked #15,174

Modern count

192

2016, ranked #20,118

Peak year

1911

246 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Iverson had 155 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,174 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 192 in 2016, ranked #20,118.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 246 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities.

Iverson surname distribution map

The map shows where the Iverson surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Iverson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Iverson over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 118 #15,362
1861 historical 106 #20,147
1881 historical 155 #15,174
1891 historical 154 #18,004
1901 historical 240 #13,461
1911 historical 246 #13,054
1997 modern 216 #16,802
1998 modern 209 #17,650
1999 modern 216 #17,364
2000 modern 211 #17,603
2001 modern 203 #17,787
2002 modern 189 #18,950
2003 modern 180 #19,347
2004 modern 178 #19,603
2005 modern 169 #20,153
2006 modern 168 #20,368
2007 modern 175 #20,090
2008 modern 172 #20,523
2009 modern 171 #21,024
2010 modern 184 #20,521
2011 modern 184 #20,363
2012 modern 185 #20,223
2013 modern 190 #20,201
2014 modern 195 #20,036
2015 modern 191 #20,205
2016 modern 192 #20,118

Geography

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Where Iversons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Hawkinge, Folkestone, Swaffham Prior, St Giles Camberwell and Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Dover and Stockton-on-Tees. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 3
2 Hawkinge, Folkestone Kent
3 Swaffham Prior Cambridgeshire
4 St Giles Camberwell London (South Districts)
5 Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Dover 011 Dover
2 Dover 010 Dover
3 Dover 013 Dover
4 Stockton-on-Tees 001 Stockton-on-Tees
5 Stockton-on-Tees 014 Stockton-on-Tees

Forenames

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First names often paired with Iverson

These lists show first names that appear often with the Iverson surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Iverson

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Iverson, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Baseline UK

Group

Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities

Nationally, the Iverson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Iverson household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Single-person households are common in these neighbourhoods, and these residents are typically divorced rather than never married. A high proportion of residents were born outside the UK in the EU. There are many young adults, some with young children, but relatively few residents are of normal retirement age or over. Although levels of identification with ethnic minorities are in line with the Supergroup average, individuals identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is more common than average. High long-term disability rates are observed, and unpaid care is more common than in the rest of the Group. The predominant housing types are terraced houses and flats, which are typically part of the social rented sector. This Group is commonly found in coastal areas and (present-day or former) industrial towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Iverson is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Iverson is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Iverson falls in decile 2 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Iverson is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Iverson, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

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.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Iverson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Iverson surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Kent leads with 48 Iversons recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.24x.

County Total Index
Kent 48 9.24x
Middlesex 35 2.30x
Surrey 25 3.37x
Norfolk 13 5.56x
Cambridgeshire 8 8.30x
Yorkshire 8 0.53x
Northumberland 5 2.21x
Angus 4 2.84x
Lanarkshire 3 0.61x
Durham 2 0.44x
Lancashire 2 0.11x
Midlothian 1 0.49x
Monmouthshire 1 0.91x
Renfrewshire 1 0.85x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Folkestone in Kent leads with 23 Iversons recorded in 1881 and an index of 228.40x.

Place Total Index
Folkestone 23 228.40x
Camberwell 16 16.46x
Mile End Old Town London 11 33.96x
Tottenham 8 33.00x
Norwich St Clement 7 258.30x
Swaffham Prior 7 1666.67x
Beckenham 6 88.37x
Lewisham 5 18.06x
Middlesbrough 5 25.46x
St Pancras London 5 4.08x
Tynemouth 5 41.22x
Dundee 4 7.60x
Greenwich 4 16.52x
Hanwell 4 148.15x
Heigham 4 31.85x
Lambeth 4 3.01x
Streatham 4 35.43x
Dover St Mary Virgin 3 59.64x
Paull 3 1071.43x
Govan 2 1.64x
Kearsley 2 52.63x
Keston 2 512.82x
Norwich St Paul 2 142.86x
Barony 1 0.80x
Battersea 1 1.79x
Bethnal Green London 1 1.51x
Chartham 1 77.52x
Chatham 1 7.00x
Chelsea London 1 2.18x
Clerkenwell London 1 2.78x
Cudham 1 188.68x
Eastwood 1 13.77x
Edinburgh St Stephens 1 24.94x
Harston 1 243.90x
Hougham 1 32.36x
Islington London 1 0.68x
South Shields 1 24.81x
St Anne Soho London 1 11.51x
St George Hanover Square 1 3.73x
St Sepulchre London 1 44.84x
St Woollos 1 8.14x
West Wickham 1 200.00x
Westoe 1 3.90x

FAQ

Iverson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Iverson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 155 people were recorded with the Iverson surname. That placed it at #15,174 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Iverson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 192 in 2016. That gives Iverson a modern rank of #20,118.

What does the Iverson surname mean?

Derived from the Scandinavian given name Ivarr, combined with the patronymic suffix -son, meaning "son of Ivarr."

What does the Iverson map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Iverson bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.