Find out how popular the last name Sargeant is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sargeant.

Sargeant, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sargeant surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sargeant in America

Sargeant is the 11448th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sargeant surname appeared 2,751 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Sargeant.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sargeant to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Sargeant

The surname Sargeant is of Norman French origin, derived from the Old French word "sergent" which means "servant" or "attendant." It is believed to have emerged in England shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

The name Sargeant was initially adopted by individuals who served in a military or legal capacity, either as a sergeant-at-arms or a legal officer. It was also used to refer to those who held a position of authority or command within a household or estate.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Sergant." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a comprehensive survey of the landholdings and population in England.

In the 12th century, a notable bearer of the name was Willelmus Sergant, who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1182. These rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer.

During the 13th century, the surname Sargeant began to spread across various regions of England, with variations in spelling such as Sargent, Sargaunt, and Serjeant emerging.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Sargeant spelling can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273, where a John Sargeant is listed as a landowner.

In the 14th century, a prominent figure bearing the name was Sir John Sargent (c. 1335-1399), a distinguished English knight who served under Edward III during the Hundred Years' War.

Another notable bearer of the name was Ralf Sargeant (c. 1405-1460), a member of the gentry from Northamptonshire who served as a Member of Parliament in 1437.

During the 16th century, the Sargeant surname gained further prominence with individuals like William Sargeant (c. 1520-1585), a wealthy merchant and benefactor from Leicestershire.

In the 17th century, a notable figure was John Sargeant (1621-1693), an English theologian and author who served as the rector of Stamford-Rivers in Essex.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sargeant

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sargeant.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sargeant was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sargeant has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sargeant was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sargeant, please contact us.

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