2000
#83,301
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 210
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Sephus
An Anglicized form of the Jewish surname Zephus, itself derived from the Hebrew male name Zepho.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 250 Americans carry the last name Sephus. That puts it at #90,848 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,371,017 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sephus 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
250
1 in 1,371,017
Census rank
#90,848
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
218
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 218 bearers of the surname Sephus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 90848th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sephus, the largest self-reported group is Black at 80.3%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sephus
The surname Sephus is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English personal name Sephus, which itself is derived from the Latin word "sephus," meaning "mound" or "hill." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a prominent hill or mound.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sephus can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this record, a landowner named Sephus is mentioned as holding lands in the county of Gloucestershire.
During the 13th century, the name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire in the West Midlands region of England. Historical records from this time period often show variations in spelling, such as Sephus, Sephuse, and Sephuse.
In the 14th century, a prominent figure named John Sephus was recorded as being a member of the Guild of Weavers in the city of Bristol. This suggests that the Sephus family may have been involved in the textile trade during this period.
Another notable individual bearing the surname Sephus was William Sephus, who was born in Worcestershire in 1542 and served as a member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, a man named Thomas Sephus (1621-1698) gained recognition as a scholar and theologian. He authored several influential works on religious topics and served as the rector of a parish in Gloucestershire.
The name Sephus has also been associated with various place names throughout England. For example, the village of Sephus Green in Worcestershire is believed to have been named after a landowner with the surname Sephus who once held property in the area.
While not as common today as some other English surnames, the name Sephus has a rich history that can be traced back to the medieval period and is deeply rooted in the West Midlands region of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sephus
Among Census respondents with the surname Sephus, the largest self-reported group is Black at 80.3%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sephus 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 Sephus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American80.3% · 175
- White7.8% · 17
- Two or more races5.5% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sephus
Sephus 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
#81,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 232
+22 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 1,843 places
2020
#90,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 218
-14 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 9,390 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #83,301 | 210 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #81,458 | 232 | 0.08 | +22 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 1,843 places |
| 2020 | #90,848 | 218 | 0.07 | -14 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 9,390 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 Sephus 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 | #81,458 | #90,848 | -11.5% |
| Count | 232 | 218 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.07 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sephus bearers went from 232 to 218 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 9,390 positions in the national ranking, going from #81,458 to #90,848.
FAQ
Sephus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sephus?
Name Census estimates that about 250 living Americans carry the surname Sephus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,371,017 residents.
How common is Sephus?
Sephus ranks #90,848 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 218 people with the surname Sephus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (250), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Sephus.
Has Sephus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sephus went from 232 recorded bearers to 218. That is a decrease of 14 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #81,458 to #90,848.
What does the Census say about the background of Sephus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sephus, the largest self-reported group is Black at 80.3%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Sephus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.3% (175 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sephus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (80.3%), White (7.8%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Sephus (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 Sephus mean?
An Anglicized form of the Jewish surname Zephus, itself derived from the Hebrew male name Zepho. 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 Sephus (0.07 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 Sephus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.