2000
#8,853
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,403
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.26
Rare Last name
Seaver
An occupational surname referring to a sieve or sifter maker or user.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,733 Americans carry the last name Seaver. That puts it at #9,550 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,817 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seaver 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 Seaver with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 91,817
Census rank
#9,550
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,255 bearers of the surname Seaver in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9550th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seaver, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seaver
Among Census respondents with the surname Seaver, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Seaver 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 Seaver surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 2,995
- Two or more races3.2% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 55
- Black or African American0.4% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seaver
Seaver 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
#9,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,384
-19 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 750 places
2020
#9,550
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,255
-129 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Up 53 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,853 | 3,403 | 1.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,603 | 3,384 | 1.15 | -19 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 750 places |
| 2020 | #9,550 | 3,255 | 1.09 | -129 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 53 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 Seaver 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 | #9,603 | #9,550 | 0.6% |
| Count | 3,384 | 3,255 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 1.09 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seaver bearers went from 3,384 to 3,255 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 53 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,603 to #9,550.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Seaver
FAQ
Seaver surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seaver?
Name Census estimates that about 3,733 living Americans carry the surname Seaver. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,817 residents.
How common is Seaver?
Seaver ranks #9,550 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,255 people with the surname Seaver. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,733), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Seaver.
Has Seaver become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seaver went from 3,384 recorded bearers to 3,255. That is a decrease of 129 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,603 to #9,550.
What does the Census say about the background of Seaver?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seaver, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Seaver in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (2,995 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seaver appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Seaver (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 Seaver mean?
An occupational surname referring to a sieve or sifter maker or user. 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 Seaver (1.09 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 Americans have the surname Seaver?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.