Bivens
A surname most likely from a family-name variant of Bivin/Bivin, itself usually treated as a diminutive of the medieval personal name Bivin or Bivinus.
The #3,701 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 32,151 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bivens is generally understood as a variant spelling of Bivin(s), with the final -s often reflecting a patronymic or possessive ending. The older personal name behind it is usually connected with medieval French and English naming forms such as Bivin or Bivinus, though the deeper root is not always certain. In practice, the surname is best treated as a name built from an earlier personal name rather than from a common noun.
History
The surname appears in English- and American-record traditions in several spellings, including Bivens and Bivins. In the United States it has been especially established in the South, where spelling variation between -ens and -ins was common in records. Because the historical dictionary excerpts only mention the name incidentally, the exact origin should be treated cautiously.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bivens and Bivins are close enough that old records often blur them, so the same family may appear under more than one spelling over time.
From the historical record
“Tilford, Strowbridge, Chatfield, Eveland, Pruyn, Mapes, Bivens, Stull, and Coppernoll. Among the New-York presidential electors, I find Mr. Tel- fair, 1789; Mr. Targee, 1820; Mr. Bruyn, 1828; and Mr, Noxon, 1840. Mr. Comelison ("comely son"'?) was Clerk of the County Court for Rockland County, N.Y., in 1805. In the…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)