2000
#10,867
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,692
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Seabrook
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a brook or stream by the sea.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,020 Americans carry the last name Seabrook. That puts it at #11,441 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,495 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seabrook 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 Seabrook with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 113,495
Census rank
#11,441
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,634 bearers of the surname Seabrook in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11441st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seabrook, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.9%. The next largest groups are White (37.9%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seabrook
The surname Seabrook has its origins in England. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "sæ" meaning sea, and "broc" meaning brook or stream, denoting someone who lived near a stream that flowed into the sea.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Sebroce" in reference to a settlement in Somerset. The name likely emerged in this region during the Anglo-Saxon period.
In the 13th century, the surname appears in various records as "Seabrok", "Seabroke", and "Seabrooke", reflecting the different spellings used at the time. One notable example is John Seabrook, who is mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.
During the 14th century, the name Seabrook began to spread beyond its initial region of origin. Records from this period include Robert de Seabrook, a landowner in Norfolk mentioned in the Court Rolls of 1349, and William Seabrook, a merchant from London listed in the City Records of 1382.
As the surname continued to evolve, it took on various forms such as "Seabroke", "Seabruck", and "Seabrooke". In the 16th century, the spelling "Seabrook" became more prevalent. One notable individual from this time was Sir Thomas Seabrook (1520-1587), a member of the English gentry and landowner in Kent.
Other notable figures with the Seabrook surname include William Seabrook (1593-1677), a Puritan settler in colonial Massachusetts, and John Seabrook (1767-1845), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars. In more recent times, Charles Seabrook (1815-1899) was a renowned architect in South Carolina, and William B. Seabrook (1886-1945) was an American writer and explorer known for his travel narratives.
The surname Seabrook continues to be found predominantly in England, but also has a presence in other English-speaking countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia due to migration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seabrook
Among Census respondents with the surname Seabrook, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.9%. The next largest groups are White (37.9%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Seabrook 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 Seabrook surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American51.9% · 1,368
- White37.9% · 997
- Two or more races5.1% · 135
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seabrook
Seabrook 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
#11,101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,859
+167 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 234 places
2020
#11,441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,634
-225 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 340 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,867 | 2,692 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,101 | 2,859 | 0.97 | +167 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 234 places |
| 2020 | #11,441 | 2,634 | 0.88 | -225 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 340 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 Seabrook 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 | #11,101 | #11,441 | -3.1% |
| Count | 2,859 | 2,634 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.88 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seabrook bearers went from 2,859 to 2,634 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 340 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,101 to #11,441.
FAQ
Seabrook surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seabrook?
Name Census estimates that about 3,020 living Americans carry the surname Seabrook. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,495 residents.
How common is Seabrook?
Seabrook ranks #11,441 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,634 people with the surname Seabrook. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,020), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Seabrook.
Has Seabrook become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seabrook went from 2,859 recorded bearers to 2,634. That is a decrease of 225 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,101 to #11,441.
What does the Census say about the background of Seabrook?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seabrook, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.9%. The next largest groups are White (37.9%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Seabrook in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.9% (1,368 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seabrook appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (51.9%), White (37.9%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Seabrook (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 Seabrook mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a brook or stream by the sea. 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 Seabrook (0.88 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 surname Seabrook?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.