Sea
An evocative name suggesting the vast, powerful waters of the ocean.
Name Census estimates that about 20 living Americans carry the first name Sea. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 52.4% of registrations being male. The average person named Sea today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sea births was 1985 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sea. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Sea. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
20
~ 1 in 17,137,717 Americans
Peak year
1985
6 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
1986 SSA rank
#7,632
Tracked since 1982
Census
Sea in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 401 people with the first name Sea, which placed it at #24,134 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#24,134
National first-name rank
People counted
401
401 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
44.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sea
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sea is Asian/Pacific Islander at 44.6%. The next largest groups are White (35.4%) and Two or More Races (7.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Sea described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Sea at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander44.6% · 179
- White35.4% · 142
- Two or more races7.0% · 28
- Black or African American6.7% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 4
Gender
Gender distribution for Sea
Sea is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 21 total registrations, 11 (52.4%) were male and 10 (47.6%) were female.
Sea as a male name
- Ranked #7,632 in 1986
- 5 male births in 1986
- Peak: 1985 (6 births)
Sea as a female name
- Ranked #16,109 in 1998
- 5 female births in 1998
- Peak: 1982 (5 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Sea on both sides of the split. Of the 391 people counted with this name, 210 were male (53.7%) and 181 were female (46.3%).
Popularity
Sea: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sea from the 1980s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 16 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Sea remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sea by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Sea during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sea
The name Sea originates from the English word "sea," which refers to the vast body of salty water that covers a significant portion of the Earth's surface. The name likely emerged as a reflection of the profound connection and admiration humans have felt towards the ocean throughout history.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Sea can be traced back to the late 19th century, although its use was relatively uncommon at that time. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Sea Young, an American sailor born in 1872 in Massachusetts. His unusual first name was likely inspired by his family's maritime heritage and love for the ocean.
In the early 20th century, the name Sea gained some popularity, particularly in coastal regions where the ocean played a central role in the local culture and economy. One notable figure from this era was Sea Cortez, a Spanish explorer born in 1901 who was renowned for his daring voyages across the Pacific Ocean.
As the environmental movement gained momentum in the latter half of the 20th century, the name Sea became associated with a sense of respect and reverence for the natural world. In 1972, the birth of Sea Shepherd, an American environmental activist and founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, helped to solidify this connection.
Another prominent figure with the name Sea was Sea Williams, a British marine biologist born in 1945 who dedicated her life to studying and preserving the delicate ecosystems of the world's oceans. Her groundbreaking research on coral reefs and marine life played a crucial role in raising awareness about the threats facing our oceans.
In more recent times, the name Sea has been embraced by individuals who find inspiration and solace in the vastness and beauty of the ocean. One such person was Sea Nomad, an Australian surfer and writer born in 1980 who chronicled his nomadic lifestyle and his deep connection with the waves in his popular memoir, "The Sea Calls."
While the name Sea remains relatively uncommon, it carries a profound symbolism and a connection to the natural world that has resonated with individuals throughout history. From sailors and explorers to environmental activists and marine biologists, those who have borne this name have shared a deep appreciation for the majesty and power of the oceans.
People
Sea + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sea as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sea: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sea?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 20 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sea going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 17,137,717 US residents.
Is Sea a common name?
We classify Sea as "Very Rare". It ranks above 39.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 21 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sea most popular?
The single biggest year for Sea was 1985, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sea is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sea in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 401 people with the name Sea, or 0.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #24,134 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Sea in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Sea?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Sea on both sides of the split. Of the 391 people counted with this name, 210 were male (53.7%) and 181 were female (46.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Sea?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sea is Asian/Pacific Islander at 44.6%. The next largest groups are White (35.4%) and Two or More Races (7.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Sea most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Sea in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.6% (179 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Sea in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sea a male name?
Yes, 52.4% of people registered as Sea in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Sea still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sea in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Sea can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Sea?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Sea at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.