2000
#7,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,189
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.55
Rare Last name
Seger
A German occupational surname referring to a sawyer or woodcutter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,674 Americans carry the last name Seger. That puts it at #7,807 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,332 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seger 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
4.7K
1 in 73,332
Census rank
#7,807
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,076 bearers of the surname Seger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7807th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seger
The surname SEGER is of German origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old High German word "seggi," which translates to "victor" or "conqueror." This name likely originated in the southern regions of present-day Germany, where it was initially used as a descriptive surname to denote someone who had achieved notable victories or conquests.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SEGER name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, Germany, dating back to the 12th century. This reference suggests that the name was already established in that region during the High Middle Ages.
In the 14th century, the SEGER name appeared in the town records of Nuremberg, a prominent city in the Holy Roman Empire. This document mentions a certain Hans SEGER, a respected artisan and craftsman, who lived in Nuremberg around 1370.
During the Renaissance period, the SEGER surname gained further prominence with the birth of Hans Seger (1552-1633), a renowned German potter and ceramicist from Nuremberg. He is credited with the invention of a special type of stoneware known as "Siegburger Steinzeug," which became highly sought after throughout Europe.
Another notable figure was Johann Baptist SEGER (1716-1781), a German Benedictine monk and scholar who made significant contributions to the field of astronomy. He was born in Rheinfelden, located in present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
In the 19th century, the SEGER name gained recognition with the birth of Hermann August SEGER (1839-1892), a German chemist and ceramist from Merseburg. He is renowned for his groundbreaking research on ceramic materials and the development of the Seger cone, a valuable tool used in the pottery industry to measure and control kiln temperatures.
The SEGER surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Segersbach, a town in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and Segertshausen, a village in the state of Bavaria. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname over time.
While the SEGER name has its roots firmly planted in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange, contributing to the rich tapestry of global surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seger
Among Census respondents with the surname Seger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Seger 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 Seger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 3,735
- Two or more races3.3% · 133
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 123
- Black or African American0.9% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seger
Seger 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
#7,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,434
+245 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.50
Rank movement Down 183 places
2020
#7,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,076
-358 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 296 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,328 | 4,189 | 1.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,511 | 4,434 | 1.50 | +245 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 183 places |
| 2020 | #7,807 | 4,076 | 1.36 | -358 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 296 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 Seger 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 | #7,511 | #7,807 | -3.9% |
| Count | 4,434 | 4,076 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.50 | 1.36 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seger bearers went from 4,434 to 4,076 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 296 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,511 to #7,807.
FAQ
Seger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seger?
Name Census estimates that about 4,674 living Americans carry the surname Seger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,332 residents.
How common is Seger?
Seger ranks #7,807 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.36 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 4,076 people with the surname Seger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,674), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.36 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 Seger.
Has Seger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seger went from 4,434 recorded bearers to 4,076. That is a decrease of 358 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,511 to #7,807.
What does the Census say about the background of Seger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Seger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (3,735 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Seger (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 Seger mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a sawyer or woodcutter. 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 Seger (1.36 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 share the surname Seger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.