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

Seymore, 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 Seymore surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Seymore in America

Seymore is the 7445th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Seymore surname appeared 4,474 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Seymore.

We can also compare 2010 data for Seymore 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 Seymore

The surname Seymore dates back to the early medieval period in England, originating from the Old English words "sæ" meaning "sea" and "mere" meaning "lake" or "pool." It was likely an occupational name given to someone who lived by the sea or a large body of water.

The earliest recorded instance of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Seimor" and "Seymer." This suggests that the name was already established in various parts of England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

In the 12th century, the name appeared as "Seymour" in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, indicating a connection to the region. It is believed that the Seymour family held lands in Somerset and Wiltshire during this period, with the name potentially deriving from the place name "Seamor" or "Semor."

One of the earliest notable figures with the surname was Sir John Seymour (c. 1476-1536), who served as a courtier to King Henry VIII. His son, Edward Seymour (c. 1500-1552), became the 1st Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector during the reign of his nephew, King Edward VI.

Another prominent Seymour was Jane Seymour (c. 1508-1537), the third wife of King Henry VIII and the mother of King Edward VI. Her brothers, Thomas Seymour (c. 1508-1549) and Edward Seymour (c. 1506-1552), also played significant roles in the Tudor court.

In the 17th century, Sir Edward Seymour (1633-1708) was a prominent English politician and served as Speaker of the House of Commons. His son, Edward Seymour (1663-1741), became the 8th Duke of Somerset and held various influential positions.

During the 18th century, Francis Seymour-Conway (1718-1794) was a British statesman and served as Secretary of State for the Northern Department. He was also known for his architectural contributions, including the construction of Ragley Hall in Warwickshire.

While the surname Seymore has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, through migration and colonization.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Seymore

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

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 Seymore 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 Seymore 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 Seymore was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!