2000
#21,156
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,156
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.43
Rare Last name
Sesay
A surname of African origin, likely indicating a person's place of birth or ancestral home.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,078 Americans carry the last name Sesay. That puts it at #8,842 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,050 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sesay 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sesay with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 84,050
Census rank
#8,842
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,556 bearers of the surname Sesay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8842nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sesay, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and White (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sesay
The surname SESAY originates from West Africa, specifically in the modern-day countries of Sierra Leone and Guinea. It is a name with roots dating back to the 17th century and earlier, derived from the Susu and Mende ethnic groups in that region.
In its earliest forms, the name was often spelled as "Seisay" or "Seysay," reflecting the variations in pronunciation and transliteration from the original African languages. The name is thought to be derived from the Mende word "sei," meaning "stranger" or "visitor," suggesting that the name may have been given to families or individuals who had traveled or settled in a new area.
Historical records show that the name SESAY appeared in various documents and records related to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, as individuals with this surname were among those forcibly transported from West Africa to the Americas during the 17th and 18th centuries. Some of the earliest known references can be found in plantation records and ship manifests from that era.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the SESAY surname was Sori Sesay, a Susu warrior and leader who fought against the British colonial forces in Sierra Leone in the late 18th century. His resistance efforts were documented in British military accounts from that time.
Another notable figure was Samuel Ayodele Sesay, a Sierra Leonean politician and educator who served as a member of the Legislative Council in the early 20th century. He was born in 1873 and played a role in the early development of Sierra Leone's educational system.
During the 20th century, the name gained prominence in Sierra Leone and Guinea, with several individuals bearing the SESAY surname achieving notable positions. These include Issa Sesay, a former leader of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebel group in Sierra Leone, who was born in 1970 and was later convicted of war crimes by the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
Additionally, Ishmael Sesay was a Sierra Leonean diplomat and politician who served as the country's Ambassador to the United Nations in the 1990s, and Alfred Sesay was a prominent Sierra Leonean journalist and writer who published several works on the country's history and culture.
While the SESAY surname has its origins in West Africa, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities, with individuals bearing this name now found in various countries across multiple continents.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sesay
Among Census respondents with the surname Sesay, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and White (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Sesay 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 Sesay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American95.2% · 3,386
- Two or more races2.1% · 76
- White1.1% · 40
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sesay
Sesay 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
#12,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,506
+1,350 bearers (+116.8%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 8,749 places
2020
#8,842
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,556
+1,050 bearers (+41.9%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Up 3,565 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,156 | 1,156 | 0.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,407 | 2,506 | 0.85 | +1,350 bearers (+116.8%) | Up 8,749 places |
| 2020 | #8,842 | 3,556 | 1.19 | +1,050 bearers (+41.9%) | Up 3,565 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 Sesay 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 | #12,407 | #8,842 | 28.7% |
| Count | 2,506 | 3,556 | 41.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 1.19 | 40.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sesay bearers went from 2,506 to 3,556 (+41.9% change). The surname moved up 3,565 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,407 to #8,842.
FAQ
Sesay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sesay?
Name Census estimates that about 4,078 living Americans carry the surname Sesay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,050 residents.
How common is Sesay?
Sesay ranks #8,842 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.19 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 3,556 people with the surname Sesay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,078), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.19 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 Sesay.
Has Sesay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sesay went from 2,506 recorded bearers to 3,556. That is an increase of 1,050 (+41.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,407 to #8,842.
What does the Census say about the background of Sesay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sesay, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and White (1.1%). 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 Sesay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (3,386 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sesay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (95.2%), Two or More Races (2.1%), White (1.1%). 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 Sesay (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 Sesay mean?
A surname of African origin, likely indicating a person's place of birth or ancestral home. 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 Sesay (1.19 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 last name Sesay?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Sesay on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.