2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sessamen
A surname derived from the Aramaic word for sesame, possibly indicating an association with the sesame trade or industry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Sessamen. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sessamen 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Sessamen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sessamen, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sessamen
The surname SESSAMEN is believed to have originated in the region of Saxony, Germany in the late 15th century. It is thought to be derived from the Middle Low German word "sessamen," which translates to "one who settles disputes." This suggests that the name may have been given to those who held positions of authority or acted as mediators in local communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SESSAMEN surname can be found in the Kirchenbücher, or church records, of the town of Zwickau in Saxony, dating back to the year 1492. These records mention a certain Hans SESSAMEN, a merchant and landowner in the area.
In the 16th century, the name began to appear in other parts of Germany, with notable mentions in the Bürgerbücher (citizen registers) of cities like Leipzig and Dresden. One such entry from 1547 refers to a Johann SESSAMEN, a respected lawyer and judge in the city of Leipzig.
As the SESSAMEN family spread across Germany, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations such as SESSEMANN, SESSAMMEN, and SESAMEN being documented in different regions. These variations likely stemmed from regional dialects and variations in record-keeping practices.
Among the notable individuals bearing the SESSAMEN surname in history are:
1. Johann Friedrich SESSAMEN (1715-1788), a renowned German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of Saxe-Weimar.
2. Wilhelm SESSAMEN (1845-1921), a German politician and member of the Reichstag (Imperial Parliament) during the late 19th century.
3. Elise SESSAMEN (1870-1944), a German educator and women's rights activist who played a significant role in the establishment of several schools for girls in Prussia.
4. Otto SESSAMEN (1892-1976), a German architect known for his work on numerous public buildings and churches in Berlin and other cities during the early 20th century.
5. Hildegard SESSAMEN (1919-2005), a German ballet dancer and choreographer who performed with the Staatsoper Berlin (Berlin State Opera) and later became a renowned dance instructor.
While the SESSAMEN name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, with descendants of the original families migrating to various countries over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sessamen
Among Census respondents with the surname Sessamen, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sessamen 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 Sessamen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 91
- Two or more races6.8% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sessamen
Sessamen appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-7 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,787 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 4,787 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 Sessamen 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 | #149,395 | #154,182 | -3.2% |
| Count | 110 | 103 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sessamen bearers went from 110 to 103 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 4,787 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #154,182.
FAQ
Sessamen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sessamen?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Sessamen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Sessamen?
Sessamen ranks #154,182 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 103 people with the surname Sessamen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), 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 Sessamen.
Has Sessamen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sessamen went from 110 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Sessamen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sessamen, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Sessamen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sessamen 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 (6.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Sessamen (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 Sessamen mean?
A surname derived from the Aramaic word for sesame, possibly indicating an association with the sesame trade or industry. 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 Sessamen (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 common is the surname Sessamen?
Find out how common the surname Sessamen is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.