Find out how popular the last name Seaver is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Seaver.

Seaver, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Seaver surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Seaver in America

Seaver is the 9603rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Seaver surname appeared 3,384 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Seaver.

We can also compare 2010 data for Seaver to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Seaver

The surname Seaver is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest known roots dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "sæfere," which means "traveler" or "seafarer." It was likely an occupational surname given to individuals who worked as sailors, merchants, or explorers.

During the Middle Ages, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Seavere, Seyver, and Seyvour, reflecting the phonetic variations of the time. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, where a certain William Seavere is mentioned.

The Seaver surname has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir Henry Seaver, a prominent landowner and member of the English gentry who lived in the 14th century. He was known for his involvement in local politics and his ownership of substantial estates in Warwickshire.

In the 16th century, the name gained further recognition with the exploits of Edward Seaver, an English explorer and navigator who accompanied Sir Francis Drake on his famous voyages to the West Indies and the Americas. Born in 1570, Seaver played a crucial role in mapping various coastal regions and establishing trade routes for the English Crown.

Another distinguished bearer of the Seaver name was John Seaver, a Puritan minister and author who lived from 1614 to 1680. He was a prominent figure in the early days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and is remembered for his scholarly works on theology and his contributions to the establishment of the colonial government.

The Seaver surname has also been linked to several locations throughout England, such as Seavers in Hertfordshire and Seaver's Cleeve in Gloucestershire. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the Seaver surname who owned or resided in those areas.

In more recent times, the name has been carried by notable individuals such as Benjamin Seaver, an American author and historian born in 1785, and James Everell Seaver, a British-born Australian politician and pastoralist who lived from 1808 to 1905.

While the origins of the Seaver surname can be traced back to England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and other English-speaking regions, where it continues to be used and recognized as a surname with a rich historical heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Seaver

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Seaver.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Seaver was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Seaver has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Seaver was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Seaver, please contact us.

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