2000
#11,396
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,536
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Seth
A surname of English origin, derived from the given name Seth, referring to the third son of Adam.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,000 Americans carry the last name Seth. That puts it at #8,999 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,689 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seth 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 Seth with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 85,689
Census rank
#8,999
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,488 bearers of the surname Seth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8999th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seth, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 54.2%. The next largest groups are White (30.3%) and Black (8.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seth
The surname Seth is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "sæd," meaning "seed" or "sowing," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked as a sower or planter.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Seth can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which contains records of land holdings and landowners in England at the time of the Norman Conquest. The name is listed as "Sede" and is believed to have been a variant spelling of Seth.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Seth was often associated with families who lived in rural areas and worked as farmers or agricultural laborers. The name may have also been adopted by individuals who lived near a place called "Seth" or a variation of that name.
In the 14th century, records show a John Seth being mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379. Another notable individual bearing the surname was Robert Seth, who was born in Yorkshire in the late 15th century and served as a member of the English Parliament in 1554.
As the surname spread throughout England, it also appeared in various place names and locations. For instance, there is a village called Sethbury in the county of Somerset, which may have derived its name from the Seth surname or vice versa.
Other notable individuals with the surname Seth throughout history include:
1. Sir Andrew Seth (1784-1856), a Scottish merchant and politician who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1833 to 1838.
2. James Seth (1860-1924), a Scottish philosopher and academic who taught at the University of Edinburgh and wrote extensively on moral philosophy and idealism.
3. John Seth (1907-1975), a British writer and journalist who worked for various publications, including The Times and The Observer.
4. Vikram Seth (born 1952), an Indian novelist and poet best known for his novel "A Suitable Boy" and his poetry collection "The Golden Gate."
5. Govind Seth (1936-2022), an Indian businessman and philanthropist who founded the Govind Group and established several educational institutions in India.
While the surname Seth has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including India, where it is also a common surname among certain communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seth
Among Census respondents with the surname Seth, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 54.2%. The next largest groups are White (30.3%) and Black (8.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Seth 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 Seth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander54.2% · 1,891
- White30.3% · 1,056
- Black or African American8.9% · 310
- Two or more races4.1% · 143
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 70
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seth
Seth 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
#9,701
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,344
+808 bearers (+31.9%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Up 1,695 places
2020
#8,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,488
+144 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Up 702 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,396 | 2,536 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,701 | 3,344 | 1.13 | +808 bearers (+31.9%) | Up 1,695 places |
| 2020 | #8,999 | 3,488 | 1.17 | +144 bearers (+4.3%) | Up 702 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 Seth 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 | #9,701 | #8,999 | 7.2% |
| Count | 3,344 | 3,488 | 4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.13 | 1.17 | 3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seth bearers went from 3,344 to 3,488 (+4.3% change). The surname moved up 702 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,701 to #8,999.
FAQ
Seth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seth?
Name Census estimates that about 4,000 living Americans carry the surname Seth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,689 residents.
How common is Seth?
Seth ranks #8,999 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,488 people with the surname Seth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,000), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Seth.
Has Seth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seth went from 3,344 recorded bearers to 3,488. That is an increase of 144 (+4.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,701 to #8,999.
What does the Census say about the background of Seth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seth, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 54.2%. The next largest groups are White (30.3%) and Black (8.9%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Seth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.2% (1,891 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (54.2%), White (30.3%), Black (8.9%). 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 Seth (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 Seth mean?
A surname of English origin, derived from the given name Seth, referring to the third son of Adam. 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 Seth (1.17 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 Americans have the surname Seth?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.