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

Sehgal, 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 Sehgal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sehgal in America

Sehgal is the 21034th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sehgal surname appeared 1,250 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Sehgal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sehgal 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 Sehgal

The surname Sehgal is of Indian origin, specifically from the Punjab region. It is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit word "sagara," which means "ocean" or "sea." This name was likely given to people who lived near a body of water or had some connection to the sea.

In ancient Indian texts and records, variations of the name, such as "Sagara" and "Saagar," can be found. One of the earliest known references is in the Hindu epic Ramayana, where a king named Sagara is mentioned.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Sehgal is from the 16th century, during the Mughal Empire. In a manuscript from that time, a person named "Sehgal Khan" is mentioned as a prominent figure in the court of Emperor Akbar.

The name Sehgal has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most famous was Maharaja Ranjit Singh Sehgal (1780-1839), the founder of the Sikh Empire and a skilled military leader who unified the Punjab region.

Another notable figure was Gurbaksh Singh Sehgal (1835-1898), a Punjabi poet and writer who contributed significantly to the Punjabi literary tradition. His works have been widely studied and celebrated.

In more recent times, the Sehgal name has been carried by several prominent individuals, such as Aditya Sehgal (1901-1986), an Indian freedom fighter and political activist who played a significant role in the country's independence movement.

Another notable figure was Satish Sehgal (1919-2007), an Indian businessman and philanthropist who founded the Sehgal Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable development in rural India.

Lastly, Prem Sehgal (1918-2005) was a highly decorated Indian Army officer who fought in World War II and later served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army.

While the surname Sehgal has its roots in the Punjab region of India, it has since spread to other parts of the country and even globally, as people have migrated and settled in different parts of the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sehgal

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

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 Sehgal 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 Sehgal 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 Sehgal was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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