Find out how popular the last name Segal is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Segal.

Segal, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Segal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Segal in America

Segal is the 4451st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Segal surname appeared 7,972 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Segal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Segal to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Segal

The surname Segal originates from the Jewish Ashkenazi communities of Germany and Eastern Europe. It is derived from the Hebrew word "segan," which means "deputy" or "assistant." The name likely emerged as a descriptive occupational surname for those who served as assistants or deputies to important officials or religious leaders.

In the early Middle Ages, the name was often spelled as "Segan" or "Seegan" in Jewish communities across Germany and Poland. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Memorbuch (memorial book) of the Jewish community of Nuremberg, Germany, which mentions a "Moyses Segan" in the late 14th century.

As the Jewish communities migrated eastward into Poland, Russia, and other parts of Eastern Europe, the name evolved into various spellings, such as "Segal," "Siegel," and "Sigl." By the 16th century, the spelling "Segal" had become prevalent in many Jewish communities across Eastern Europe.

One notable bearer of the Segal name was Rabbi Yom Tov Lipmann Heller (1579-1654), a renowned Talmudic scholar and author of the influential work "Tosafot Yom Tov." He was born in Wallerstein, Germany, and later served as the Chief Rabbi of Prague.

Another prominent individual with the Segal surname was Sir Benjamin Segal (1776-1831), a British businessman and philanthropist born in Amsterdam. He played a significant role in supporting Jewish education and welfare initiatives in London.

In the 19th century, the name Segal was associated with several notable figures in the Jewish intellectual and literary circles. Isaac Leib Segal (1833-1908) was a Russian-Jewish author and translator who contributed to the revival of Hebrew literature. Moses Segal (1827-1901) was a renowned Hebrew scholar and educator who served as the Principal of the Jews' Free School in London.

The name Segal also has ties to the early Zionist movement. Naham Segal (1808-1888) was a prominent banker and supporter of the early Zionist cause, and his son, Jacob Segal (1850-1896), was a prominent Zionist activist and writer.

Throughout its history, the Segal surname has been borne by various notable individuals across various fields, from religion and literature to business and activism, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and contributions of the Jewish Ashkenazi communities to the societies they lived in.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Segal

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Segal.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Segal was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Segal has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Segal was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Segal, please contact us.

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