2000
#14,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,928
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Seager
An occupational surname referring to a sawyer or woodcutter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,156 Americans carry the last name Seager. That puts it at #15,069 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 158,977 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seager 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 Seager with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 158,977
Census rank
#15,069
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,880 bearers of the surname Seager in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15069th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seager, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seager
The surname Seager originated in England, with its roots traced back to the 13th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "secg" or "saeg," which referred to a type of marsh plant or sedge. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near an area abundant with these plants.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Huntingdonshire Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "William le Seggere." This form of the name reflects the addition of the occupational suffix "-er," indicating that the bearer may have been a gatherer or worker in marshes or areas with sedges.
During the 14th century, the surname appears in various records with spellings such as "Segger," "Seggere," and "Seggare." These variations showcase the fluidity of surnames in the medieval period, as they were often adapted based on local dialects and scribal interpretations.
In the 16th century, the name took on its more modern spelling of "Seager." One notable individual from this period was John Seager, a merchant and ship owner from Kent, who lived from around 1520 to 1595.
The Seager surname has been associated with several prominent figures throughout history. One of the earliest was William Seager, a 16th-century English clergyman and author who was born in Ipswich in 1532 and died in 1594. He is known for his polemical writings against the Catholic Church.
Another notable figure was Sir Charles Seager, a 17th-century English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Southampton. He was born in 1616 and died in 1690.
In the 18th century, Sir John Seager, an English naval officer and explorer, made significant contributions. He was born in 1717 and died in 1785. Seager Island in the Aleutian Islands was named after him in recognition of his voyages and explorations in the region.
Moving into the 19th century, William Seager was a prominent English artist and engraver, born in 1796 and died in 1875. He is particularly known for his engravings of architectural subjects and landscapes.
Finally, in the 20th century, Alan Seager was a British poet and writer who served in World War I. He was born in 1888 and died in 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. His poetry collection, Poems, was published posthumously in 1917.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seager
Among Census respondents with the surname Seager, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Seager 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 Seager surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 1,716
- Two or more races3.1% · 59
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 29
- Black or African American0.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seager
Seager 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
#14,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,125
+197 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 126 places
2020
#15,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,880
-245 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 930 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,265 | 1,928 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,139 | 2,125 | 0.72 | +197 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 126 places |
| 2020 | #15,069 | 1,880 | 0.63 | -245 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 930 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 Seager 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 | #14,139 | #15,069 | -6.6% |
| Count | 2,125 | 1,880 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.63 | -12.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seager bearers went from 2,125 to 1,880 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 930 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,139 to #15,069.
FAQ
Seager surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seager?
Name Census estimates that about 2,156 living Americans carry the surname Seager. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 158,977 residents.
How common is Seager?
Seager ranks #15,069 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,880 people with the surname Seager. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,156), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Seager.
Has Seager become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seager went from 2,125 recorded bearers to 1,880. That is a decrease of 245 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,139 to #15,069.
What does the Census say about the background of Seager?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seager, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Seager in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (1,716 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seager appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Seager (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 Seager mean?
An occupational surname referring to a sawyer or woodcutter. 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 Seager (0.63 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 Seager?
Want to know how common the surname Seager is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.