Seaman
An English occupational name referring to a mariner or sailor.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Seaman. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Seaman today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Seaman births was 1927 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Seaman. 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 Seaman. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1927
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1927 SSA rank
#4,701
Tracked since 1927
Popularity
Seaman: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Seaman 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 Seaman during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Seaman
The name Seaman has its origins in the Old English language and is derived from the word "sæmann," which means "a man of the sea" or "a sailor." This name first appeared in the 8th century AD, during the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain.
In the early medieval period, the name Seaman was commonly used to refer to individuals who worked on ships or lived near the coast. It was a practical name that reflected the occupation or lifestyle of the bearer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Seaman can be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a collection of annals that record the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The Chronicle mentions a man named Seaman who was part of a naval expedition in the year 897 AD.
During the Middle Ages, the name Seaman gained popularity among seafaring communities in England and other coastal regions of Europe. It was often associated with individuals who worked as sailors, fishermen, or in other maritime professions.
Historically, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Seaman. One of the earliest was Seaman Hendrick, a Dutch navigator and explorer who was part of the famous expedition led by Henry Hudson in the early 17th century.
Another famous bearer of the name was Seaman Knillens, a Dutch sailor who served on board the Dutch East India Company's ships in the 17th century. He is known for his detailed accounts of the voyages he undertook to the East Indies.
In the 18th century, Seaman Mordecai Sheftall was a prominent figure in the American Revolutionary War. He was a Jewish leader in Savannah, Georgia, and served as a deputy commissary general for the Continental Army.
During the 19th century, Seaman Asahel Knapp was an American Methodist minister and educator who founded the Knapp School of Country Life, which aimed to improve agricultural practices and rural education.
Finally, in the 20th century, Seaman Schepps was an American jeweler and jewelry designer known for his innovative and avant-garde creations. His works are now considered part of the Art Deco and Modernist movements in jewelry design.
People
Seaman + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Seaman 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
Seaman: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Seaman?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Seaman 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 - US residents.
Is Seaman a common name?
We classify Seaman as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Seaman most popular?
The single biggest year for Seaman was 1927, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Seaman is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Seaman in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Seaman a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Seaman 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 Seaman still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Seaman 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 Seaman 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Seaman?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Seaman at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.