2000
#8,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,802
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.41
Rare Last name
Sessoms
An English surname derived from the given name Sisson, meaning "son of Siss," a pet form of Cecily.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,246 Americans carry the last name Sessoms. That puts it at #8,529 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,724 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sessoms 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
4.2K
1 in 80,724
Census rank
#8,529
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,703 bearers of the surname Sessoms in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8529th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sessoms, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.4%. The next largest groups are White (43.4%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sessoms
The surname Sessoms is believed to have originated in England, likely from the 12th or 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "sess" or "sesse," meaning a seat or a residence, and the suffix "-um," indicating a place or location. This suggests that the name may have been initially used to refer to someone who lived near a particular seat or dwelling.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sessoms can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, dated 1196, where a certain "Radulfus de Sessun" is mentioned. The spelling "Sessun" is believed to be an earlier variation of the surname.
During the 13th century, the name appeared in various records across different counties in England, such as the Assize Rolls of Warwickshire in 1221, where a "Willelmus de Sessum" is listed, and the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1264, which mentions a "Johannes de Sessun."
It is possible that the name Sessoms may have originated from a place name, as was common during that time period. However, no definitive place of origin has been identified with certainty. Some historians have speculated that it could be linked to the village of Sezincote in Gloucestershire or the area of Sessay in North Yorkshire.
Notable individuals with the surname Sessoms throughout history include:
1. Sir John Sessoms (c. 1450 - 1518), an English nobleman and military commander who served under King Henry VII during the Wars of the Roses.
2. William Sessoms (1552 - 1613), an English clergyman and theologian who wrote several treatises on religious doctrine.
3. Elizabeth Sessoms (1619 - 1683), one of the first English settlers in the Virginia Colony, who was granted land in what is now Surry County, Virginia.
4. George Sessoms (1772 - 1844), an American farmer and landowner in North Carolina, who played a role in the state's early agricultural development.
5. Thomas Sessoms (1819 - 1892), a British explorer and naturalist who documented the flora and fauna of various regions in Africa and South America.
While the surname Sessoms may have undergone variations in spelling over the centuries, it has maintained its distinctive identity and can be traced back to its English roots, reflecting the rich history and diversity of surnames in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sessoms
Among Census respondents with the surname Sessoms, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.4%. The next largest groups are White (43.4%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Sessoms 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 Sessoms surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American47.4% · 1,755
- White43.4% · 1,608
- Two or more races5.2% · 193
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 93
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sessoms
Sessoms 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
#8,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,044
+242 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 162 places
2020
#8,529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,703
-341 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 323 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,044 | 3,802 | 1.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,206 | 4,044 | 1.37 | +242 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 162 places |
| 2020 | #8,529 | 3,703 | 1.24 | -341 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 323 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 Sessoms 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 | #8,206 | #8,529 | -3.9% |
| Count | 4,044 | 3,703 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.24 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sessoms bearers went from 4,044 to 3,703 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 323 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,206 to #8,529.
FAQ
Sessoms surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sessoms?
Name Census estimates that about 4,246 living Americans carry the surname Sessoms. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,724 residents.
How common is Sessoms?
Sessoms ranks #8,529 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.24 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 3,703 people with the surname Sessoms. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,246), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.24 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 Sessoms.
Has Sessoms become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sessoms went from 4,044 recorded bearers to 3,703. That is a decrease of 341 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,206 to #8,529.
What does the Census say about the background of Sessoms?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sessoms, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.4%. The next largest groups are White (43.4%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Sessoms in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.4% (1,755 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sessoms appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (47.4%), White (43.4%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Sessoms (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 Sessoms mean?
An English surname derived from the given name Sisson, meaning "son of Siss," a pet form of Cecily. 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 Sessoms (1.24 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 Sessoms?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Sessoms, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.