2000
#11,310
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,563
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Sargeant
An occupational surname referring to a servant or attendant, derived from the Latin "serviens" meaning "one who serves."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,242 Americans carry the last name Sargeant. That puts it at #10,781 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,723 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sargeant surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sargeant with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 105,723
Census rank
#10,781
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,827 bearers of the surname Sargeant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10781st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sargeant, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.6%. The next largest groups are Black (22.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sargeant
Among Census respondents with the surname Sargeant, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.6%. The next largest groups are Black (22.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sargeant bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Sargeant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.6% · 1,910
- Black or African American22.1% · 625
- Two or more races4.5% · 126
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 108
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sargeant
Sargeant appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#11,448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,751
+188 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 138 places
2020
#10,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,827
+76 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 667 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,310 | 2,563 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,448 | 2,751 | 0.93 | +188 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 138 places |
| 2020 | #10,781 | 2,827 | 0.95 | +76 bearers (+2.8%) | Up 667 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Sargeant surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,448 | #10,781 | 5.8% |
| Count | 2,751 | 2,827 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.95 | 1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sargeant bearers went from 2,751 to 2,827 (+2.8% change). The surname moved up 667 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,448 to #10,781.
FAQ
Sargeant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sargeant?
Name Census estimates that about 3,242 living Americans carry the surname Sargeant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,723 residents.
How common is Sargeant?
Sargeant ranks #10,781 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,827 people with the surname Sargeant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,242), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sargeant.
Has Sargeant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sargeant went from 2,751 recorded bearers to 2,827. That is an increase of 76 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,448 to #10,781.
What does the Census say about the background of Sargeant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sargeant, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.6%. The next largest groups are Black (22.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sargeant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.6% (1,910 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sargeant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.6%), Black (22.1%), Two or More Races (4.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Sargeant (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Sargeant mean?
An occupational surname referring to a servant or attendant, derived from the Latin "serviens" meaning "one who serves." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Sargeant (0.95 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Sargeant?
Find out how many people have the surname Sargeant on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.