2000
#3,643
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,963
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.32
Uncommon Last name
Seaton
A locational surname referring to someone who lived by the sea or a body of water.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,545 Americans carry the last name Seaton. That puts it at #3,761 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,504 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seaton 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 Seaton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 32,504
Census rank
#3,761
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.2K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,196 bearers of the surname Seaton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3761st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seaton, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seaton
The surname Seaton is of English origin, derived from various place names in different parts of England. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Seton" or "Seetone".
The name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "sæ" meaning "sea" and "tun" meaning "town" or "enclosure". This suggests that the name was initially given to individuals who lived in towns or settlements located near the sea or along the coast.
In addition to its English roots, the surname Seaton also has connections to Scotland. It is thought to have been derived from the Scottish town of Seaton, located near Arbroath in Angus. This town was initially called "Seton" and was likely named after a nearby sea inlet or coastal area.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Seaton was William de Seton (c. 1200-1258), a Scottish nobleman who held lands in East Lothian and served as a knight under King Alexander II of Scotland.
Another notable figure was Sir John Seaton (c. 1334-1390), a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence. He was rewarded with lands in East Lothian for his loyalty and became the progenitor of the Setons of Winton.
In England, the surname Seaton was often associated with various place names, such as Seaton in Devon, Seaton in Cumbria, and Seaton in Northumberland. These place names likely contributed to the surname's spread and variations in spelling.
One prominent English bearer of the name was George Seaton (1548-1610), an English playwright and poet who was a member of Queen Elizabeth I's court. He is best known for his work "The Life of Christ" and other religious poems.
Another notable figure was Sir John Seaton (1572-1616), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1614. He was a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers and played a significant role in the affairs of the City of London.
Throughout history, the surname Seaton has been spelled in various ways, including Seton, Seaton, Seatoun, and Seatton, reflecting its diverse geographical origins and regional variations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seaton
Among Census respondents with the surname Seaton, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Seaton 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 Seaton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.5% · 6,939
- Black or African American14.1% · 1,297
- Two or more races4.1% · 380
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 337
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 182
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 61
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seaton
Seaton 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
#3,759
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,423
+460 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 3.19
Rank movement Down 116 places
2020
#3,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,196
-227 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 3.08
Rank movement Down 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,643 | 8,963 | 3.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,759 | 9,423 | 3.19 | +460 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 116 places |
| 2020 | #3,761 | 9,196 | 3.08 | -227 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 2 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 Seaton 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 | #3,759 | #3,761 | -0.1% |
| Count | 9,423 | 9,196 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.19 | 3.08 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seaton bearers went from 9,423 to 9,196 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,759 to #3,761.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Seaton
FAQ
Seaton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seaton?
Name Census estimates that about 10,545 living Americans carry the surname Seaton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,504 residents.
How common is Seaton?
Seaton ranks #3,761 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,196 people with the surname Seaton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,545), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Seaton.
Has Seaton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seaton went from 9,423 recorded bearers to 9,196. That is a decrease of 227 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,759 to #3,761.
What does the Census say about the background of Seaton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seaton, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Seaton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.5% (6,939 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seaton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.5%), Black (14.1%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Seaton (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 Seaton mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived by the sea or a body of water. 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 Seaton (3.08 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 Seaton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.