2000
#12,382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,301
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Seavey
An English occupational surname for a servant or attendant to someone of high status, derived from the Anglo-Norman "civee."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,485 Americans carry the last name Seavey. That puts it at #13,438 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,929 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seavey 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
2.5K
1 in 137,929
Census rank
#13,438
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,167 bearers of the surname Seavey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13438th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seavey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seavey
The surname "SEAVEY" is believed to have originated in England, and its earliest recorded use dates back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "sæ," meaning "sea," and the word "ey," which refers to an island or dry land surrounded by water. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone living near the sea or on an island.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Stratford, Suffolk, England, where a John Seavey was listed in 1578. Another early reference can be found in the records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, where a Thomas Seavey was mentioned in 1595.
In the 17th century, the Seavey surname began to appear more frequently in various English records. For instance, a William Seavey was mentioned in the 1642 Protestation Returns for the county of Kent. Additionally, the name is found in the parish records of St. Dunstan's Church in Stepney, London, where a Mary Seavey was recorded in 1663.
As the name spread across England, different spellings emerged, including "Savey," "Savie," and "Savye." These variations likely resulted from regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.
One notable individual bearing the Seavey surname was John Seavey, who was born in 1725 in Salisbury, Massachusetts. He served as a soldier in the American Revolutionary War and is recorded as having participated in the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775.
Another prominent figure was James Seavey, born in 1790 in Rye, New Hampshire. He was a successful merchant and shipowner, and his business ventures contributed significantly to the local economy.
In the 19th century, the name Seavey appeared in various parts of the United States, with concentrations in New England and the Midwest. One individual of note was Henry Seavey, born in 1824 in Maine. He was a prolific writer and editor, contributing to several publications and authoring several books on various subjects.
Additionally, the name "Seavey" has been associated with several place names, such as Seavey's Island, a small island located off the coast of Maine, and Seavey's Bridge, a historic covered bridge in New Hampshire.
Throughout its history, the surname "SEAVEY" has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including soldiers, merchants, writers, and others who have left their mark on the communities in which they lived.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seavey
Among Census respondents with the surname Seavey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Seavey 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 Seavey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 2,012
- Two or more races4.0% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 18
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seavey
Seavey 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
#12,760
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,418
+117 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 378 places
2020
#13,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,167
-251 bearers (-10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 678 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,382 | 2,301 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,760 | 2,418 | 0.82 | +117 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 378 places |
| 2020 | #13,438 | 2,167 | 0.72 | -251 bearers (-10.4%) | Down 678 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 Seavey 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 | #12,760 | #13,438 | -5.3% |
| Count | 2,418 | 2,167 | -10.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.72 | -11.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seavey bearers went from 2,418 to 2,167 (-10.4% change). The surname moved down 678 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,760 to #13,438.
FAQ
Seavey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seavey?
Name Census estimates that about 2,485 living Americans carry the surname Seavey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,929 residents.
How common is Seavey?
Seavey ranks #13,438 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,167 people with the surname Seavey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,485), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Seavey.
Has Seavey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seavey went from 2,418 recorded bearers to 2,167. That is a decrease of 251 (-10.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,760 to #13,438.
What does the Census say about the background of Seavey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seavey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Seavey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (2,012 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seavey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Seavey (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 Seavey mean?
An English occupational surname for a servant or attendant to someone of high status, derived from the Anglo-Norman "civee." 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 Seavey (0.72 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 common is the surname Seavey?
If you just want to know how many people are called Seavey, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.