2000
#1,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,427
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.06
Uncommon Last name
Seymour
Derived from a location name meaning "marshy land near the sea" or "sea lake" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,887 Americans carry the last name Seymour. That puts it at #1,426 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,291 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seymour 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 Seymour with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,291
Census rank
#1,426
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,319 bearers of the surname Seymour in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1426th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seymour, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seymour
The surname Seymour is of Norman French origin, derived from the place name Saint Maur, near Tours in France. It is believed to have been introduced to England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name is thought to have originated from the Latin words "Sanctus Maurus," referring to St. Maurus, a disciple of St. Benedict.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Seymour can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Sanctus Maurus." Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, including Seint Mor, Seynt Moor, and eventually Seymour.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Seymour name 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 Lord Protector of England during the reign of his nephew, King Edward VI.
Another notable figure was Jane Seymour (c. 1508-1537), the third wife of King Henry VIII and the mother of his only legitimate son, King Edward VI. Jane Seymour is remembered for her kindness and piety, and she was greatly beloved by the King.
During the Tudor period, the Seymour family rose to prominence, with several members holding influential positions at the royal court. One such member was Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (c. 1506-1552), who served as Lord Protector during the minority of King Edward VI.
In the 17th century, Sir Edward Seymour (1633-1708) was a prominent English politician and Speaker of the House of Commons from 1673 to 1679. He played a significant role in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which saw the overthrow of King James II and the establishment of the constitutional monarchy in England.
Throughout history, the Seymour name has been associated with various places in England, including Seymour Castle in Somerset and Seymour Place in London. The name has also been linked to several notable families, such as the Dukes of Somerset and the Marquesses of Hertford.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seymour
Among Census respondents with the surname Seymour, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Seymour 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 Seymour surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.9% · 19,421
- Black or African American10.4% · 2,526
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,042
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 819
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 297
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 214
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seymour
Seymour 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
#1,394
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,436
+1,009 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 8.62
Rank movement Down 67 places
2020
#1,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,319
-1,117 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 8.14
Rank movement Down 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,327 | 24,427 | 9.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,394 | 25,436 | 8.62 | +1,009 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 67 places |
| 2020 | #1,426 | 24,319 | 8.14 | -1,117 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 32 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 Seymour 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 | #1,394 | #1,426 | -2.3% |
| Count | 25,436 | 24,319 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 8.62 | 8.14 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seymour bearers went from 25,436 to 24,319 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,394 to #1,426.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Seymour
FAQ
Seymour surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seymour?
Name Census estimates that about 27,887 living Americans carry the surname Seymour. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,291 residents.
How common is Seymour?
Seymour ranks #1,426 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,319 people with the surname Seymour. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,887), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Seymour.
Has Seymour become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seymour went from 25,436 recorded bearers to 24,319. That is a decrease of 1,117 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,394 to #1,426.
What does the Census say about the background of Seymour?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seymour, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Seymour in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.9% (19,421 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seymour appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.9%), Black (10.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Seymour (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 Seymour mean?
Derived from a location name meaning "marshy land near the sea" or "sea lake" in Old English. 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 Seymour (8.14 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 surname Seymour?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.