2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Segelken
A Low German habitational surname indicating someone from a place associated with a small bay or inlet.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Segelken. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Segelken 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Segelken in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Segelken, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Segelken
The surname SEGELKEN has its origins in Germany, specifically in the northern regions near the coast. It is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Low German word "segelken," which means "small sail" or "little sail."
This surname likely originated as a descriptive name, given to individuals who worked with sails or were involved in sailing and maritime activities. The coastal regions of northern Germany were home to thriving maritime trade and naval activities during the Middle Ages, making it a plausible origin for such a surname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SEGELKEN surname can be found in the city records of Lübeck, a prominent Hanseatic city in northern Germany. The name appears in a document dated 1412, referring to a merchant named Hans SEGELKEN.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the SEGELKEN name was Johann SEGELKEN, a Lutheran theologian and reformer born in 1523 in the town of Mölln, near Lübeck. He played a crucial role in the establishment of Protestantism in the region.
The SEGELKEN surname can also be found in other historical records from northern Germany, such as church registers and tax records from the 17th and 18th centuries. Variations in spelling, such as SEGELCKEN, SEGELKEN, and SEGELCHEN, were common during this time.
One notable individual was Friedrich SEGELKEN, a German philosopher and educator born in 1772 in Niedersachsen. He was a prominent figure in the field of education and wrote several works on pedagogy and moral philosophy.
Another historical figure was Wilhelm SEGELKEN, born in 1830 in Lübeck. He was a renowned architect and urban planner who contributed significantly to the development of the city's infrastructure and architectural landscape in the late 19th century.
In the 20th century, Carl SEGELKEN, born in 1897 in Hamburg, was a notable German journalist and author. He wrote extensively on political and social issues during the turbulent times of the Weimar Republic and the rise of Nazism.
While the SEGELKEN surname has its roots in northern Germany, it has since spread to other regions and countries due to migration and diaspora. However, it remains most prevalent in its area of origin, particularly in the coastal regions of northern Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Segelken
Among Census respondents with the surname Segelken, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Segelken 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 Segelken surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 99
- Two or more races7.2% · 8
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Segelken
Segelken 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-10 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,456 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,412 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 18,456 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,412 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 Segelken 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 | #147,253 | #148,665 | -1.0% |
| Count | 112 | 111 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Segelken bearers went from 112 to 111 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,412 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #148,665.
FAQ
Segelken surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Segelken?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Segelken. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Segelken?
Segelken ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Segelken. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Segelken.
Has Segelken become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Segelken went from 112 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Segelken?
Among Census respondents with the surname Segelken, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Segelken in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Segelken appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (7.2%), Black (1.8%). 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 Segelken (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 Segelken mean?
A Low German habitational surname indicating someone from a place associated with a small bay or inlet. 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 Segelken (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 people have the surname Segelken?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.