2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sembly
A variant spelling of the English surname Semley, derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Sembly. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sembly 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Sembly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sembly, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and White (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sembly
The surname Sembly has its origins in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture that once thrived in areas of Britain. The name is derived from the Old English words "semb" or "sembl," which refer to an assembly or gathering. This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon someone who lived near a meeting place or an area where councils convened.
The earliest known record of the surname Sembly appears in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population data compiled in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror. In this medieval document, the name is spelled "Semblea," reflecting the linguistic evolution of the name over time.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Sembly surname was William Sembly, born in 1295 in the village of Semblebury, located in what is now Wiltshire, England. The name Semblebury itself is believed to be derived from the Old English words "semb" and "burgh," meaning "assembly town," further supporting the connection between the surname and its origins.
Another notable figure in the history of the Sembly name is Sir John Sembly, a prominent landowner and knight who lived during the 14th century. He was known for his participation in the Hundred Years' War between England and France, and his name is recorded in several chronicles of the time.
In the 16th century, the Sembly family gained prominence in the town of Semblyton, located in what is now Oxfordshire. Records show that a wealthy merchant named Thomas Sembly, born in 1521, owned extensive lands and properties in the area.
Moving into the 17th century, the name appears in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in North America. One of the earliest settlers with the surname was Elizabeth Sembly, who arrived in Boston in 1635 aboard the ship "Abigail."
Throughout the centuries, variations in the spelling of the surname emerged, including Semblye, Semblee, and Semblie. However, the core meaning and origins of the name remain rooted in the concept of an assembly or gathering place, reflecting the cultural and linguistic heritage of the Anglo-Saxons.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sembly
Among Census respondents with the surname Sembly, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and White (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sembly 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 Sembly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American86.0% · 86
- Two or more races6.0% · 6
- White4.0% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sembly
Sembly 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
+5 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,434 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-12 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,429 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 4,434 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 8,429 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 Sembly 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 | #155,682 | -5.7% |
| Count | 112 | 100 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sembly bearers went from 112 to 100 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 8,429 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #155,682.
FAQ
Sembly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sembly?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Sembly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Sembly?
Sembly ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Sembly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Sembly.
Has Sembly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sembly went from 112 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Sembly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sembly, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and White (4.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sembly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sembly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (86.0%), Two or More Races (6.0%), White (4.0%). 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 Sembly (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 Sembly mean?
A variant spelling of the English surname Semley, derived from a place name. 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 Sembly (0.03 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 Sembly?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.