2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Seaworth
A surname referring to one who resides near the sea or ocean.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Seaworth. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seaworth 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Seaworth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seaworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seaworth
The surname Seaworth is of English origin, emerging in the coastal regions of southern England during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the Old English words "sæ" meaning sea and "worth" meaning an enclosed homestead or dwelling place, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name lived near the sea or earned their livelihood from maritime activities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Seaworth name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327, which mentions a John de Sewurth. The variant spelling "Sewurth" reflects the evolution of the name over time, as it adapted to local dialects and scribal interpretations. In the 15th century, the name appeared as "Seworth" in the Court Rolls of Selsey, West Sussex, further evidencing its connection to coastal regions.
During the Tudor era, a notable figure bearing the Seaworth name was Richard Seaworth, a merchant and shipowner from Southampton, who lived from circa 1510 to 1585. His maritime ventures contributed to the town's prosperity and established the Seaworth family as a prominent seafaring dynasty in the region.
In the 17th century, the Seaworth name gained recognition through the exploits of Captain John Seaworth, a renowned English privateer and navigator who sailed extensively in the Caribbean and the Americas between 1640 and 1680. His daring exploits and encounters with Spanish fleets were chronicled in contemporary accounts, cementing his place in maritime history.
Another significant figure was Sir William Seaworth (1680-1744), a Royal Navy officer who distinguished himself during the War of the Spanish Succession and the War of the Austrian Succession. He rose through the ranks to become an Admiral of the Red and was knighted for his services to the Crown.
The 19th century saw the emergence of a prominent branch of the Seaworth family in the fishing communities of Cornwall. One notable member was Captain Thomas Seaworth (1815-1892), a skilled mariner and pilot who guided ships through treacherous coastal waters and contributed to the development of maritime safety measures in the region.
Throughout its history, the Seaworth name has maintained a strong connection to coastal areas and maritime traditions, reflecting the occupations and lifestyles of its bearers over the centuries. While the name has evolved in spelling and pronunciation, its origins as a descriptor of those who lived near or worked on the sea have remained a consistent thread in its etymology.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seaworth
Among Census respondents with the surname Seaworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Seaworth 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 Seaworth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 6
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seaworth
Seaworth appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+8 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,986 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.8%) | Up 8,986 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 Seaworth 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 | #158,432 | #149,446 | 5.7% |
| Count | 102 | 110 | 7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 22.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seaworth bearers went from 102 to 110 (+7.8% change). The surname moved up 8,986 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #149,446.
FAQ
Seaworth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seaworth?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Seaworth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Seaworth?
Seaworth ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Seaworth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Seaworth.
Has Seaworth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seaworth went from 102 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 8 (+7.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Seaworth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seaworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Seaworth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seaworth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Hispanic (5.5%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Seaworth (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 Seaworth mean?
A surname referring to one who resides near the sea or ocean. 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 Seaworth (0.04 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 Seaworth?
If you just want to know how many people are called Seaworth, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.