2000
#8,973
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,351
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.24
Rare Last name
Seagraves
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "pit or trench near the sea."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,381 Americans carry the last name Seagraves. That puts it at #10,401 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,377 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seagraves 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
3.4K
1 in 101,377
Census rank
#10,401
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,948 bearers of the surname Seagraves in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10401st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seagraves, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seagraves
The surname Seagraves has its origins in England, emerging in the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "sæ" meaning sea, and "græf" meaning grove or small wood, indicating that the name initially referred to someone who lived near a seaside woodland or coastal forest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is spelled as "de Seagrave". This early spelling variation suggests that the name may have initially been a locational surname, referring to someone from a specific place called Seagrave.
While the name does not appear in the Domesday Book of 1086, there are mentions of the surname in various medieval records and manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries. These include references to individuals such as John de Seagrave, who was a prominent knight and military commander during the Scottish Wars of Independence in the early 14th century.
In the late 14th century, the name is recorded as "Segreue" in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire, indicating the evolution of the spelling over time. Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Nicholas Seagraves, a member of the English gentry in the 15th century, who served as the Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1467.
During the Tudor period, the name is found in various records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of 1524, where it is spelled as "Seagrave". One prominent individual from this era was Sir Edward Seagraves, a courtier and member of the English Parliament who lived from 1505 to 1578.
In the 17th century, the spelling of the name further evolved to its modern form of "Seagraves". One notable bearer from this period was William Seagraves, a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses in the late 1600s, indicating the surname's presence in colonial America.
Other individuals with the surname Seagraves who left their mark on history include Robert Seagraves, a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War, and Sir John Seagraves, a prominent English judge and legal scholar in the early 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seagraves
Among Census respondents with the surname Seagraves, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Seagraves 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 Seagraves surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.9% · 2,473
- Black or African American8.8% · 258
- Two or more races3.7% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 67
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seagraves
Seagraves 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
#9,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,340
-11 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 739 places
2020
#10,401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,948
-392 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 689 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,973 | 3,351 | 1.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,712 | 3,340 | 1.13 | -11 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 739 places |
| 2020 | #10,401 | 2,948 | 0.99 | -392 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 689 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 Seagraves 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 | #9,712 | #10,401 | -7.1% |
| Count | 3,340 | 2,948 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.13 | 0.99 | -12.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seagraves bearers went from 3,340 to 2,948 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 689 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,712 to #10,401.
FAQ
Seagraves surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seagraves?
Name Census estimates that about 3,381 living Americans carry the surname Seagraves. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,377 residents.
How common is Seagraves?
Seagraves ranks #10,401 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 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 2,948 people with the surname Seagraves. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,381), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 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 Seagraves.
Has Seagraves become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seagraves went from 3,340 recorded bearers to 2,948. That is a decrease of 392 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,712 to #10,401.
What does the Census say about the background of Seagraves?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seagraves, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Seagraves in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.9% (2,473 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seagraves appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.9%), Black (8.8%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Seagraves (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 Seagraves mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "pit or trench near 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 Seagraves (0.99 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 are called Seagraves?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Seagraves is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.