The Travers surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,833 people carried this name — #4,525 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 37,600 people counted. That is up 2% from 7,698 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Travers surname
From Anglo-Norman traverser (“to cross”), an occupational name for a toll collector. In Ireland, used as an Anglicization of Irish Ó Treabhair.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Travers» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 2,457 people named Travers.
24 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 74 départements, most often Ille-et-Vilaine.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 38 births for the Travers name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,700 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 85 people named Travers live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
20 people named Travers live in Switzerland.
They live in 4 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In print
Travers in American newspapers,
1886–1891.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 151,843 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Travers,
with a public archive behind them.
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John Travers d. 1727 · Anglican priest
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Mary Travers d. 1610
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Harriet Elizabeth Aylmer d. 1918
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Eaton Joseph Travers d. 1857
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Robert Travers d. 1840
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Charlotte Sophia Beamish d. 1919
Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Travers.
- Trappier 148 · U.S. census
- Traub 2,638 · U.S. census
- Trautmann 734 · U.S. census
- Travaglini 484 · U.S. census
- Travaille 114 · U.S. census
- Traver 3,774 · U.S. census
- Traversa 202 · U.S. census
- Traverse 560 · U.S. census
- Traverso 1,216 · U.S. census
- Traves 128 · U.S. census
- Trebes 123 · U.S. census
- Treger 209 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Travers 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.