2000
#8,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,600
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.33
Rare Last name
Seabolt
A nickname-derived surname referring to a bold or daring sailor or mariner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,023 Americans carry the last name Seabolt. That puts it at #8,951 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,199 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seabolt 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.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 85,199
Census rank
#8,951
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,508 bearers of the surname Seabolt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8951st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seabolt, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seabolt
The surname Seabolt is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English words "sæ" meaning sea and "bolt" meaning a bolt or arrow. This suggests the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near the sea or worked as an archer or soldier.
The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th century, appearing in the Huntingdonshire Hundred Rolls of 1273 as "William Seabolt". This indicates the name was already established in certain parts of England by this time.
In the 14th century, variations of the spelling emerged, such as "Sebolte" and "Seebolte", found in records from Yorkshire and Essex respectively. These alternative spellings likely reflect regional dialects and the evolving nature of English orthography during this period.
One notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Seabolt, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War with France in the mid-14th century. He is mentioned in several chronicles of the time for his bravery in battle.
By the 16th century, the name had spread to other parts of England, with records showing individuals named Seabolt in counties like Lincolnshire and Gloucestershire. One such individual was William Seabolt, a merchant from Bristol who traded with the American colonies in the early 1600s.
In the 17th century, the surname appears to have taken on a more permanent spelling as "Seabolt", as evidenced by records from places like the parish of St. Botolph's in Aldgate, London, where several Seabolt families resided.
One of the most famous bearers of the name was Sir Edward Seabolt, a prominent lawyer and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1677. He played a significant role in the events leading up to the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
As the name spread across the British Isles, it also found its way to the American colonies, with several Seabolt families settling in areas like Virginia and Pennsylvania during the 18th century. One notable early American bearer of the name was Samuel Seabolt, a soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War and later became a successful farmer in upstate New York.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seabolt
Among Census respondents with the surname Seabolt, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Seabolt 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 Seabolt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 3,098
- Two or more races6.0% · 209
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 84
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 29
- Black or African American0.6% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seabolt
Seabolt 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
#8,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,752
+152 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 311 places
2020
#8,951
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,508
-244 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 208 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,432 | 3,600 | 1.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,743 | 3,752 | 1.27 | +152 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 311 places |
| 2020 | #8,951 | 3,508 | 1.17 | -244 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 208 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 Seabolt 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 | #8,743 | #8,951 | -2.4% |
| Count | 3,752 | 3,508 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.17 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seabolt bearers went from 3,752 to 3,508 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 208 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,743 to #8,951.
FAQ
Seabolt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seabolt?
Name Census estimates that about 4,023 living Americans carry the surname Seabolt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,199 residents.
How common is Seabolt?
Seabolt ranks #8,951 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,508 people with the surname Seabolt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,023), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Seabolt.
Has Seabolt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seabolt went from 3,752 recorded bearers to 3,508. That is a decrease of 244 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,743 to #8,951.
What does the Census say about the background of Seabolt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seabolt, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Seabolt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (3,098 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seabolt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Two or More Races (6.0%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Seabolt (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 Seabolt mean?
A nickname-derived surname referring to a bold or daring sailor or mariner. 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 Seabolt (1.17 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 share the surname Seabolt?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.