Explore the Family Name Sevier
The meaning of Sevier
1. English: occupational name for a sieve-maker, from Middle English siv(i)er (from an agent derivative of Old English sife ‘sieve’). Compare Seawright. 2. Altered form of French Xavier. History: This surname (see 2 above) is listed in the (US) National Huguenot Society’s register of qualified Huguenot ancestors (along with its original form Xavier) and also in the similar register of the Huguenot Society of South Carolina.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Sevier in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Sevier experienced a minor shift in its popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked as the 10,483rd most popular surname, but this ranking fell slightly to 10,797th by 2010. Despite this decrease in rank, the actual number of people with the Sevier surname increased by 5.09% during this time period, growing from 2,810 to 2,953 individuals. However, its proportion per 100,000 people decreased by 3.85%, indicating that although more people bore the surname, it was less common relative to other surnames.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10,483 | #10,797 | -3% |
| Count | 2,810 | 2,953 | 5.09% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.04 | 1 | -3.85% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Sevier
The ethnicity associated with the surname Sevier also saw some interesting shifts between 2000 and 2010 according to the Decennial U.S. Census. The largest ethnic identity associated with this surname is White, making up 78.58% in 2000 and decreasing slightly to 77.99% in 2010. The second most common ethnicity is Black, however, this group saw an 11.53% decrease during the same period. Interestingly, there was a significant increase in those who identify with two or more races, with a growth of 34.50%. Meanwhile, the percentage of people with the Sevier surname who identified as Hispanic rose by 28.28%. Conversely, those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native both saw decreases of 26.56% and 11.82%, respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 78.58% | 77.99% | -0.75% |
| Black | 11.1% | 9.82% | -11.53% |
| Hispanic | 5.94% | 7.62% | 28.28% |
| Two or More Races | 1.71% | 2.3% | 34.5% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 2.03% | 1.79% | -11.82% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.64% | 0.47% | -26.56% |
Sevier ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Sevier is British & Irish, which comprises 55.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (26.3%) and Eastern European (4.0%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Indigenous American, Italian, and Ashkenazi Jewish.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 55.5% |
| French & German | 26.3% |
| Eastern European | 4.0% |
| Other | 14.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Sevier
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Sevier have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 88.70% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 88.70% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 88.70% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 88.70% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 88.70% |
What Sevier haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Sevier is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Sevier surname are: H1, H, U5a1. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham
One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Sevier have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Sevier" Surname 32.3%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Light Hair
Hair that is blonde or light brown in color
"Sevier" Surname 41.7%
23andMe Users 50.5%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Sevier" Surname 18.2%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Sevier" Surname 13.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Sevier?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Sevier are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition