2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Semian
An Americanized variant of the Ukrainian surname Semenyuk, derived from a patronymic meaning "son of Semen."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Semian. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Semian 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Semian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Semian, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and Black (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Semian
The surname Semian has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in the region of modern-day Poland and western Ukraine. It is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century. The name is derived from the Slavic root "sem," which means "seven" or "seventh," suggesting a potential connection to a family's birth order or numerical significance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Semian surname can be found in a 16th-century manuscript from the city of Lviv, which was then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This document mentions a certain Jan Semian, a merchant and landowner who lived in the latter half of the 1500s.
The Semian name also appears in various historical records from the region, including parish registers and land ownership documents. For instance, in the late 17th century, a Marcin Semian was listed as a prominent landowner in the village of Biłka Szlachecka, near the city of Lublin.
During the 18th century, the Semian surname gained prominence in the Polish nobility. Notable figures from this period include Stanisław Semian (1725-1798), a Polish military officer who fought in the Polish-Russian War of 1792, and Katarzyna Semian (1742-1814), a noblewoman known for her philanthropic efforts in the Kraków region.
As the centuries progressed, the Semian name spread beyond its Eastern European roots. In the late 19th century, a notable example is Józef Semian (1860-1932), a Polish-American engineer and inventor who helped develop early steel production techniques in the United States.
Another significant figure was Maria Semian (1884-1962), a Polish-born artist and sculptor who gained recognition for her works in Paris and throughout Europe in the early 20th century.
While the Semian surname has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has since been carried across continents and cultures, with individuals bearing this name leaving their mark in various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Semian
Among Census respondents with the surname Semian, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and Black (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Semian 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 Semian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 98
- Two or more races7.2% · 8
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Semian
Semian 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
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,412 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 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,412 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 Semian 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 | #148,665 | -1.0% |
| Count | 112 | 111 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Semian bearers went from 112 to 111 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,412 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #148,665.
FAQ
Semian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Semian?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Semian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Semian?
Semian ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 111 people with the surname Semian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Semian.
Has Semian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Semian went from 112 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Semian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Semian, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and Black (2.7%). 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 Semian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Semian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Two or More Races (7.2%), Black (2.7%). 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 Semian (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 Semian mean?
An Americanized variant of the Ukrainian surname Semenyuk, derived from a patronymic meaning "son of Semen." 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 Semian (0.04 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 are called Semian?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Semian? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.