2000
#10,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,786
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Selph
Derived from a Middle English personal name, possibly a shortened form of "Selwyn," meaning "friend in the hall."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,334 Americans carry the last name Selph. That puts it at #10,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 102,806 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Selph 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
3.3K
1 in 102,806
Census rank
#10,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,907 bearers of the surname Selph in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Selph, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Black (6.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Selph
The surname Selph is of English origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English words "self" or "selfe," which referred to an individual or one's self.
One of the earliest known records of the Selph name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the 13th century, where it was spelled as "Self." This suggests that the name may have originated in the Gloucestershire region of England.
The Selph surname is believed to have been initially used as a descriptive name, likely referring to someone who was independent, self-reliant, or perhaps even self-centered. It could also have been used as a nickname for someone who was particularly self-aware or introspective.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Selfe" and "Selfes," in records from counties like Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. This indicates that the surname had spread across different regions of England by that time.
One notable early bearer of the Selph surname was John Selfe, who was recorded in the Proceedings of the Old Bailey in 1678 for a theft case in London. Another individual, Thomas Selph, was mentioned in the parish records of Edgbaston, Warwickshire, in the late 17th century.
In the 18th century, the Selph surname gained prominence with the birth of Sir Thomas Dyke Acland Selph (1715-1785), a British politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Somerset.
Another significant figure bearing the Selph name was William Selph (1782-1848), an English artist and engraver known for his landscape paintings and engravings of rural scenes.
During the 19th century, the Selph surname was carried by individuals such as Mary Ann Selph (1815-1890), a British writer and poet who published works on religious themes, and John Selph (1820-1892), an English cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire.
It is important to note that the Selph surname, while relatively uncommon, has been present throughout various regions of England for several centuries, with records spanning from the medieval period to the modern era.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Selph
Among Census respondents with the surname Selph, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Black (6.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Selph 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 Selph surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.5% · 2,369
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 196
- Black or African American6.6% · 192
- Two or more races4.2% · 122
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Selph
Selph 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
#10,787
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,957
+171 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 217 places
2020
#10,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,907
-50 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Up 262 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,570 | 2,786 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,787 | 2,957 | 1.00 | +171 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 217 places |
| 2020 | #10,525 | 2,907 | 0.97 | -50 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 262 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 Selph 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 | #10,787 | #10,525 | 2.4% |
| Count | 2,957 | 2,907 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.97 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Selph bearers went from 2,957 to 2,907 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 262 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,787 to #10,525.
FAQ
Selph surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Selph?
Name Census estimates that about 3,334 living Americans carry the surname Selph. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 102,806 residents.
How common is Selph?
Selph ranks #10,525 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,907 people with the surname Selph. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,334), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Selph.
Has Selph become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Selph went from 2,957 recorded bearers to 2,907. That is a decrease of 50 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,787 to #10,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Selph?
Among Census respondents with the surname Selph, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Black (6.6%). 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 Selph in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (2,369 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Selph appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.5%), Hispanic (6.7%), Black (6.6%). 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 Selph (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 Selph mean?
Derived from a Middle English personal name, possibly a shortened form of "Selwyn," meaning "friend in the hall." 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 Selph (0.97 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 Selph?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.