Find out how popular the last name Session is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Session.

Session, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Session surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Session in America

Session is the 10607th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Session surname appeared 3,019 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Session.

We can also compare 2010 data for Session to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Session

The surname "Session" is believed to have originated in Scotland during the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "seson," which means "season" or "time of year." This name was likely given to someone who lived near a particular area or landmark that was associated with a specific season.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "Session" dates back to the 13th century, when a Robert de Sessone was mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296. These rolls were a series of pledges of allegiance to King Edward I of England from Scottish nobles and landowners.

In the 14th century, a William de Sessoun was listed in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1365. These rolls were records of the Scottish royal finances and accounts.

During the 15th century, the name "Session" appeared in various Scottish records and manuscripts, such as the Bute Manuscript of 1450, which included a reference to a John Session.

One notable bearer of the surname "Session" was Sir Alexander Session (c.1520-1583), a Scottish merchant and landowner who served as a burgess of Edinburgh and sat in the Scottish Parliament.

Another individual with this surname was William Session (1738-1800), a Scottish-born American statesman and judge who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and as a justice on the North Carolina Superior Court.

In the 19th century, John Session (1821-1894) was a prominent Scottish-American businessman and banker who co-founded the Session & Brownell Bank in Philadelphia.

Another noteworthy person with this surname was Sir Alfred Session (1858-1935), a British politician and lawyer who served as a Member of Parliament and as the Attorney General for England and Wales.

Finally, one of the more recent historical figures with the surname "Session" was Roger Session (1896-1985), an American composer and music educator who taught at renowned institutions such as Princeton University and the University of California, Berkeley.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Session

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Session.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Session was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Session has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Session was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Session, please contact us.

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