The Givens surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 25,067 people carried this name — #1,419 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 11,800 people counted. That is up 5% from 23,823 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

In the first U.S. census, 1790

73 families named Givens, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 412 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 18 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

North Carolina 26
South Carolina 14
Maryland 9
Maine 8
Pennsylvania 8
Massachusetts 2
New York 2
Virginia 2
Rhode Island 1
Connecticut 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 242 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Givens in American newspapers,
1896–1910.

Newspaper page from Essex County Herald carrying the name Givens
Essex County Herald 1910-08-05
Newspaper page from The Eagle carrying the name Givens
The Eagle 1896-11-11
Newspaper page from The Pacific Commercial Advertiser carrying the name Givens
The Pacific Commercial Advertiser 1901-07-30

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Givens in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1980s.

5,369 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Givens. The most, 2,593, date from the 1900s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 3.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 3,523
South Australia 789
New South Wales 346
Victoria 333
Western Australia 288
Tasmania 71
ACT (Canberra) 16
Northern Territory 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Givens.

Who carried it

People named Givens,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Henry Givens Burgess
    Henry Givens Burgess 1859–1937 · politician
  • Henry Givens Burgess
    Henry Givens Burgess 1859–1937 · politician
  • Thomas Givens
    Thomas Givens 1864–1928 · politician
  • Thomas Givens
    Thomas Givens 1864–1928 · politician
  • Glennel Givens Jr. d. 2003
  • Jon Michael Givens d. 2005

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Givens,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,317 records

1,317 records of the Givens name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 716
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 374
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 127
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 36
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 25
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 23
  • Sacramento County historic burials 6
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 5
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Roy Nathaniel Givens

    Born 1949; from Newport News, Virginia. U.S. Army, infantryman; died in an accident 1969 in Binh Dinh, South Vietnam. Buried at Hampton National Cemetery, Virginia.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Orval J. Givens

    Born 1923 in Oregon. Enlisted 1944 at Portland; farm hand from Baker County. U.S. Army veteran; died 1986, buried at Mount Hope Cemetery, Baker City, Oregon.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Alex Givens

    Arrived at New York in 1865 aboard the Helvetia from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 23; laborer. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,317 records for Givens in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia31 records

31 records of the Givens name in Australia
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 10
  • Tasmanian Names Index 9
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 7
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 4
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 1
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record William Givens

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Fairlie, sailing from Plymouth in 1852. Native of Roxburghshire.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Samuel Givens

    Arrived in Queensland in 1889 aboard the Quetta, aged 19.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Thomas Givens

    Senator of Canterbury, Victoria; died 1928.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 31 records for Givens in Australia.

Counts: Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada9 records

9 records of the Givens name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 4
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 2
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 1
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Hugh Givens

    Buried in 1974 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 76.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Frank Russel Givens

    Died in service in 1918.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record John Givens

    Married 1872 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 9 records for Givens in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

United Kingdom3 records

3 records of the Givens name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Givens

    Royal Scots Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. W. Givens

    Royal Army Service Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Givens in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Germany2 records

2 records of the Givens name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Joachim Givens

    From Greifswald. Reported missing in the Imperial Navy casualty list of 2 February 1915; then reported taken prisoner in the list of 5 May 1915; then listed as returned from captivity in the list of 26 September 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Givens in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Givens.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Givens is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Givens volume
Scroll to Top