2000
#30,061
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 736
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.27
Rare Last name
Sehgal
An occupational surname originating from the Sanskrit word "srigala" meaning trader or merchant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,129 Americans carry the last name Sehgal. That puts it at #15,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 160,993 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sehgal 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sehgal with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 160,993
Census rank
#15,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,857 bearers of the surname Sehgal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sehgal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sehgal
Among Census respondents with the surname Sehgal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Sehgal 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 Sehgal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander88.2% · 1,637
- White5.2% · 97
- Two or more races5.1% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 16
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sehgal
Sehgal 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
#21,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,250
+514 bearers (+69.8%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Up 9,027 places
2020
#15,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,857
+607 bearers (+48.6%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 5,813 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,061 | 736 | 0.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,034 | 1,250 | 0.42 | +514 bearers (+69.8%) | Up 9,027 places |
| 2020 | #15,221 | 1,857 | 0.62 | +607 bearers (+48.6%) | Up 5,813 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 Sehgal 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 | #21,034 | #15,221 | 27.6% |
| Count | 1,250 | 1,857 | 48.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.42 | 0.62 | 47.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sehgal bearers went from 1,250 to 1,857 (+48.6% change). The surname moved up 5,813 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,034 to #15,221.
FAQ
Sehgal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sehgal?
Name Census estimates that about 2,129 living Americans carry the surname Sehgal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 160,993 residents.
How common is Sehgal?
Sehgal ranks #15,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,857 people with the surname Sehgal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,129), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Sehgal.
Has Sehgal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sehgal went from 1,250 recorded bearers to 1,857. That is an increase of 607 (+48.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #21,034 to #15,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Sehgal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sehgal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sehgal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (1,637 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sehgal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (88.2%), White (5.2%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Sehgal (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 Sehgal mean?
An occupational surname originating from the Sanskrit word "srigala" meaning trader or merchant. 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 Sehgal (0.62 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 Americans have the surname Sehgal?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.