Zevergem is one of the oldest so-called riverside villages of the Scheldeveld. The oldest mention of the village dates back to 964, then as Sewaringhem, a name derived from Saiwiwaringa heim (home of the people of Saiwirwar).
The village manor was owned by the van Severghem family, until Rodolf the Red donated it to St. Peter's Abbey in Ghent in 1232, in exchange for goods in Munte and Balegem.