Secher
A surname likely of German origin meaning "seeker" or "explorer".
According to the 2000 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 137 Americans carry the last name Secher. That puts it at #140,756 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,501,856 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Secher 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.
Secher appeared in the 2000 Census surname file but was not included in the published 2020 file. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames with at least 100 recorded bearers, so this usually means the name fell below that threshold.
Bearers in the US
137
1 in 2,501,856
Census rank
#140,756
2000 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Secher in its 2000 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 140756th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Secher, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Secher
The surname Secher has its origins in Denmark. This surname is Danish in origin, and the name first began to appear prominently in records by the 16th and 17th centuries. The areas where the name Secher was originally from are situated in Jutland and Copenhagen, which were significant centers in Denmark during that era.
The etymology of the name Secher is derived from older Danish or possibly even Low German roots, with possible connections to the word "sikher," which can mean "safe" or "secure." Over time, the spelling and pronunciation might have evolved slightly, but the core elements of the name have remained largely intact.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Secher surname dates back to the mid-17th century in Danish parish records. A notable historical reference includes the appearance of the name in local church documents and land records, where various members of the Secher family were landowners or tenants.
Johannes Secher, born in 1619 and died in 1674, was a notable figure who held various land titles and was well-documented in local Jutland records. Another individual, Christen Secher, born in 1678 and died in 1732, appears in historical texts as a minister who served in Copenhagen, leaving behind a significant number of ecclesiastical documents that mention his surname.
In the 18th century, Jens Secher, born in 1735, served as a prominent magistrate in the Danish city of Aalborg. His records, found in both legal and municipal archives, reflect the growing prominence of the Secher family during that period. Later in history, Peder Secher, born in 1792 and died in 1856, became known for his contributions to Danish agriculture, particularly in the areas of farming reforms.
Another significant bearer of the surname was Hans Christian Secher, who lived between 1836 and 1905. He was a well-regarded poet and playwright whose works were highly influential in Danish literary circles. His writings often explored themes of Danish identity and culture, contributing to the proliferation of the name in literary references of his time.
The surname Secher, while not uncommon in contemporary Denmark, has deep historical roots with numerous references to individuals who played leading roles in various sectors, including religion, governance, agriculture, and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Secher
Among Census respondents with the surname Secher, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%.
The bar chart below shows how Secher bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2000 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 Secher surname at the time of the 2000 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1%
- Unknown or suppressed0.9%
FAQ
Secher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Secher?
Name Census estimates that about 137 living Americans carry the surname Secher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,501,856 residents.
How common is Secher?
Secher ranks #140,756 in the 2000 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 2000 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Secher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (137), 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 Secher.
Has Secher become more or less common over time?
Secher appears here with 2000 Census data. When additional surname-file years are available for this name, Name Census uses them to show longer-term movement in rank and bearer count.
What does the Census say about the background of Secher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Secher, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. These figures come from the 2000 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 Secher in the 2000 Census, accounting for 99.1%.
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Secher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2000 file are White (99.1%).
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Not necessarily. Secher appears here with 2000 Census data, while the latest surname file loaded on Name Census is 2020. When a surname drops below the Census publication threshold, older rows can still be kept for historical reference even if the name no longer appears in the newest file.
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 Secher mean?
A surname likely of German origin meaning "seeker" or "explorer". 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 2000 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 Secher (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 many Americans have the surname Secher?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.