2000
#12,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,165
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Segars
An occupational surname for a cutter or sawyer of wood, likely derived from the Middle English term "sagar."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,348 Americans carry the last name Segars. That puts it at #14,076 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,977 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Segars 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
2.3K
1 in 145,977
Census rank
#14,076
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,048 bearers of the surname Segars in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14076th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Segars, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Segars
The surname Segars is believed to have originated in England, likely in the 14th or 15th century. It is thought to be derived from an occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of Segars, which were a type of coarse cloth or sackcloth. The name may also be related to the Old English word "sigge," meaning a small stream or watercourse.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Segars appears in the Suffolk Hearth Tax Returns of 1674, where a John Segars is listed as a resident of Bury St. Edmunds. The name is also found in various parish records from the 16th and 17th centuries in counties such as Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex.
In the 18th century, Segars families were concentrated in the East Anglian region of England, particularly in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. Notable individuals from this period include William Segars (1720-1795), a farmer and landowner from Harleston, Norfolk, and Mary Segars (1742-1823), who was born in Thetford, Norfolk.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, some Segars families moved to urban areas in search of employment. One such individual was John Segars (1809-1887), a textile worker from Bury St. Edmunds who later settled in Manchester.
Among the more prominent bearers of the Segars surname was Edward Segars (1848-1912), a British politician and Member of Parliament who represented the constituency of Loughborough from 1892 to 1906. He was born in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, and had a career as a solicitor before entering politics.
Another notable figure was Reverend William Segars (1819-1899), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Barfreston in Kent from 1862 until his death. He wrote several religious works, including "The Doctrine of the Resurrection" and "The Church and the World."
In the 20th century, the surname Segars continued to be found primarily in England, with many families still residing in the East Anglian region. One example is Albert Segars (1904-1982), a farmer and landowner from Harleston, Norfolk, who was a descendant of the earlier William Segars mentioned above.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Segars
Among Census respondents with the surname Segars, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Segars 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 Segars surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.5% · 1,711
- Black or African American9.7% · 199
- Two or more races3.6% · 73
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Segars
Segars 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
#13,660
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,216
+51 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 678 places
2020
#14,076
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,048
-168 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 416 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,982 | 2,165 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,660 | 2,216 | 0.75 | +51 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 678 places |
| 2020 | #14,076 | 2,048 | 0.69 | -168 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 416 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 Segars 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 | #13,660 | #14,076 | -3.0% |
| Count | 2,216 | 2,048 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.69 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Segars bearers went from 2,216 to 2,048 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 416 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,660 to #14,076.
FAQ
Segars surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Segars?
Name Census estimates that about 2,348 living Americans carry the surname Segars. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,977 residents.
How common is Segars?
Segars ranks #14,076 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,048 people with the surname Segars. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,348), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Segars.
Has Segars become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Segars went from 2,216 recorded bearers to 2,048. That is a decrease of 168 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,660 to #14,076.
What does the Census say about the background of Segars?
Among Census respondents with the surname Segars, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) 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 Segars in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.5% (1,711 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Segars appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.5%), Black (9.7%), 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 Segars (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 Segars mean?
An occupational surname for a cutter or sawyer of wood, likely derived from the Middle English term "sagar." 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 Segars (0.69 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 Segars?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Segars at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.