2000
#14,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,968
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Seawright
An English occupational surname for a carpenter or woodworker specializing in constructing ships or boats.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,413 Americans carry the last name Seawright. That puts it at #13,768 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,045 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seawright 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
2.4K
1 in 142,045
Census rank
#13,768
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,104 bearers of the surname Seawright in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13768th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seawright, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.9%. The next largest groups are White (44.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seawright
The surname Seawright has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is an occupational name, derived from the Old English words 'sæ' meaning 'sea' and 'wryhta' meaning 'worker' or 'maker'. This suggests that the original bearers of this name were involved in maritime activities or worked as shipwrights.
The earliest known reference to the name Seawright can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire, a census-like record from 1273. It mentions a "Willelmus Seawriht" residing in the county. This early spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.
In the 14th century, the Seawright surname appeared in various records across England, including the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379, which listed a "Johannes Seawryght". The name was also present in the Corpus Christi Guild records of York from 1399, mentioning a "Thomas Seawryght".
During the 16th century, the Seawright name was associated with several notable individuals. One such person was John Seawright, a merchant and ship owner from Bristol, who was involved in the thriving maritime trade of the era. Another was William Seawright, a shipwright from Portsmouth, who is credited with contributing to the construction of several vessels for the Royal Navy in the late 1500s.
In the 17th century, the Seawright family had established roots in various parts of England, including Norfolk, Suffolk, and Lincolnshire. One prominent figure from this period was Robert Seawright, a captain in the English Navy who served under Admiral Robert Blake during the Anglo-Dutch Wars (1652-1654).
The 18th century saw the Seawright name spread further across the British Isles, with records indicating their presence in Scotland and Ireland. Notable individuals from this time include James Seawright (1710-1789), a Scottish shipbuilder who established a successful shipyard in Greenock, and Patrick Seawright (1752-1821), an Irish sailor who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War.
As the centuries progressed, the Seawright surname continued to be associated with maritime professions, reflecting the enduring connection to its occupational origins. While the name has since diversified across various occupations and regions, its historical ties to shipbuilding and seafaring remain a significant part of its legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seawright
Among Census respondents with the surname Seawright, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.9%. The next largest groups are White (44.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Seawright 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 Seawright surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American45.9% · 965
- White44.9% · 944
- Two or more races4.3% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 70
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seawright
Seawright 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
#13,509
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,245
+277 bearers (+14.1%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 540 places
2020
#13,768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,104
-141 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 259 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,049 | 1,968 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,509 | 2,245 | 0.76 | +277 bearers (+14.1%) | Up 540 places |
| 2020 | #13,768 | 2,104 | 0.70 | -141 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 259 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 Seawright 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 | #13,509 | #13,768 | -1.9% |
| Count | 2,245 | 2,104 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.70 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seawright bearers went from 2,245 to 2,104 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 259 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,509 to #13,768.
FAQ
Seawright surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seawright?
Name Census estimates that about 2,413 living Americans carry the surname Seawright. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,045 residents.
How common is Seawright?
Seawright ranks #13,768 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,104 people with the surname Seawright. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,413), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Seawright.
Has Seawright become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seawright went from 2,245 recorded bearers to 2,104. That is a decrease of 141 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,509 to #13,768.
What does the Census say about the background of Seawright?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seawright, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.9%. The next largest groups are White (44.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Seawright in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.9% (965 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seawright appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (45.9%), White (44.9%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Seawright (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 Seawright mean?
An English occupational surname for a carpenter or woodworker specializing in constructing ships or boats. 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 Seawright (0.70 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 have the surname Seawright?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.