# Travis (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/travis/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname originating as an occupation.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | occupational, named after the work an ancestor did |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 34,985 |
| US rank (2010) | 998 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 8,825 people |
| Change since 2000 | +4.9% (33,339 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈtɹævɪs/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From an Old French word meaning "to cross over," related to traverse. Probably a name for a gatekeeper or the toll collector of a bridge.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Travis in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 73% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 21% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5% |
| Two or more races | 2.2% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Travis in the United States and North Macedonia.

## People named Travis

- Nancy Travis, American actress
- Scott Travis, American drummer
- William B. Travis, Alamo commander and defender (1809–1836)
- Doris Eaton Travis, American singer, dancer, actress, rancher (1904–2010)
- Merle Travis, American country/Western singer-songwriter and musician
- Stacey Travis, American actress
- June Travis, American actress (1914-2008)
- Romeo Travis, American basketball player
- Neil Travis, American film and television editor (1936-2012)
- Richard Travis, American actor (1913-1989)
- Abby Travis, American bassist
- Nick Travis, American jazz musician (1925-1964)

and 2 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Travieso, Trevizo, Terpstra, Tarbox, Trobaugh.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.