2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sershen
A medieval Russian surname derived from the word "sershchen", meaning "beetle".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Sershen. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sershen 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Sershen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sershen, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sershen
The surname SERSHEN is of Russian origin and can be traced back to the late 17th century. It is derived from the Russian word "серьга" (ser'ga), which means "earring." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who made or sold earrings.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SERSHEN name can be found in the parish records of the village of Novgorod, located in northwestern Russia, dating back to the late 1600s. It is possible that the name originated in this region before spreading to other parts of the country.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the SERSHEN surname appeared in various Russian census records and military conscription lists. This indicates that the name was well-established among the Russian population by this time.
One notable individual with the SERSHEN surname was Ivan Sershen (1785-1863), a Russian merchant and landowner who owned several estates in the Tver region. His son, Mikhail Sershen (1812-1889), was a prominent industrialist and philanthropist, known for his contributions to the development of the Russian textile industry.
Another notable figure was Anna Sershen (1830-1912), a Russian writer and poet whose works explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition. Her poetry collection, "Вечерние огни" (Evening Lights), published in 1875, received critical acclaim and solidified her reputation as a prominent literary figure of the time.
In the early 20th century, Pavel Sershen (1887-1967) was a renowned Russian architect who designed several iconic buildings in St. Petersburg, including the Mikhailovsky Theatre and the Anichkov Palace.
During the Soviet era, Yelena Sershen (1920-2005) was a celebrated ballet dancer and choreographer. She performed with the Bolshoi Ballet and later became a celebrated teacher, nurturing and inspiring generations of young dancers.
While the SERSHEN surname is primarily associated with Russia, it has also been found in other Eastern European countries, such as Ukraine and Belarus, likely due to migration patterns and cultural influences within the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sershen
Among Census respondents with the surname Sershen, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sershen 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 Sershen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 4
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sershen
Sershen 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,882 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,354 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 11,882 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 2,354 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 Sershen 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 | #144,141 | #146,495 | -1.6% |
| Count | 115 | 114 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sershen bearers went from 115 to 114 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 2,354 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #146,495.
FAQ
Sershen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sershen?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Sershen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Sershen?
Sershen ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Sershen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Sershen.
Has Sershen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sershen went from 115 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Sershen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sershen, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sershen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sershen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Hispanic (4.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%). 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 Sershen (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 Sershen mean?
A medieval Russian surname derived from the word "sershchen", meaning "beetle". 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 Sershen (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 share the surname Sershen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.