2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Sedan
An occupational surname referring to a litter or portable chair bearer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Sedan. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sedan 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Sedan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sedan, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (36.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sedan
The surname Sedan originates from France, and it can be traced back to the 12th century. It is a locative name, derived from the city of Sedan, which is located in the Ardennes region of northeastern France, near the Belgian border. The name Sedan itself is believed to come from the Celtic word "sedu," meaning "seat" or "dwelling place."
In the Middle Ages, the town of Sedan was an important strategic location, known for its fortress and its role in various conflicts, including the Thirty Years' War. The earliest recorded mention of the surname Sedan can be found in a document from the year 1190, which references a person named Guillelmus de Sedan.
Another notable early reference to the name Sedan comes from the 13th century, when a knight named Jean de Sedan fought in the Seventh Crusade under the command of King Louis IX of France. This Jean de Sedan is mentioned in various chronicles and historical accounts from that time period.
One of the most famous individuals to bear the surname Sedan was Robert de Sedan (c. 1400-1474), a French statesman and diplomat who served as the Grand Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem (also known as the Knights Hospitaller) from 1467 until his death. He played a significant role in the defense of Rhodes against the Ottoman Empire.
Another noteworthy figure with the surname Sedan was Jacques de Sedan (1550-1628), a French Protestant theologian and reformer who was a prominent figure in the Huguenot movement. He was known for his writings and debates with Catholic theologians, and he played a key role in the Synod of Dort, a major Protestant assembly held in the Netherlands in 1618-1619.
In the 17th century, there was a well-known French military commander named Henri de Sedan (1598-1676), who served under King Louis XIII and played a crucial role in the Siege of Sedan during the Thirty Years' War. He was also the governor of the city of Sedan for a time.
Other notable individuals with the surname Sedan include Pierre de Sedan (1639-1699), a French writer and translator who was known for his works on philosophy and theology, and Émile de Sedan (1822-1888), a French painter and illustrator who was part of the Barbizon school of landscape painting.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sedan
Among Census respondents with the surname Sedan, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (36.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sedan 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 Sedan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.9% · 58
- Hispanic or Latino36.8% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.4% · 5
- Two or more races4.4% · 5
- Black or African American3.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sedan
Sedan 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+3 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,740 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-15 bearers (-11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,116 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 5,740 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.6%) | Down 15,116 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 Sedan 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 | #131,379 | #146,495 | -11.5% |
| Count | 129 | 114 | -11.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sedan bearers went from 129 to 114 (-11.6% change). The surname moved down 15,116 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #146,495.
FAQ
Sedan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sedan?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Sedan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Sedan?
Sedan ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Sedan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Sedan.
Has Sedan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sedan went from 129 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Sedan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sedan, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (36.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%). 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 Sedan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.9% (58 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sedan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.9%), Hispanic (36.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%). 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 Sedan (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 Sedan mean?
An occupational surname referring to a litter or portable chair bearer. 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 Sedan (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 Sedan?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Sedan is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.