2000
#10,996
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,654
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Session
An occupational surname for a court official or church officer who summons people to attend meetings or hearings.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,454 Americans carry the last name Session. That puts it at #10,186 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,234 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Session 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
3.5K
1 in 99,234
Census rank
#10,186
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,012 bearers of the surname Session in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10186th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Session, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.1%. The next largest groups are White (8.1%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Session
Among Census respondents with the surname Session, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.1%. The next largest groups are White (8.1%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Session 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 Session surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American81.1% · 2,443
- White8.1% · 244
- Two or more races5.7% · 173
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 132
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Session
Session 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
#10,607
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,019
+365 bearers (+13.8%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 389 places
2020
#10,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,012
-7 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Up 421 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,996 | 2,654 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,607 | 3,019 | 1.02 | +365 bearers (+13.8%) | Up 389 places |
| 2020 | #10,186 | 3,012 | 1.01 | -7 bearers (-0.2%) | Up 421 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 Session 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 | #10,607 | #10,186 | 4.0% |
| Count | 3,019 | 3,012 | -0.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 1.01 | -1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Session bearers went from 3,019 to 3,012 (-0.2% change). The surname moved up 421 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,607 to #10,186.
FAQ
Session surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Session?
Name Census estimates that about 3,454 living Americans carry the surname Session. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,234 residents.
How common is Session?
Session ranks #10,186 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 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 3,012 people with the surname Session. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,454), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 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 Session.
Has Session become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Session went from 3,019 recorded bearers to 3,012. That is a decrease of 7 (-0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,607 to #10,186.
What does the Census say about the background of Session?
Among Census respondents with the surname Session, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.1%. The next largest groups are White (8.1%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Session in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.1% (2,443 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Session appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (81.1%), White (8.1%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Session (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 Session mean?
An occupational surname for a court official or church officer who summons people to attend meetings or hearings. 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 Session (1.01 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 Session?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.