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

Seymour, 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 Seymour surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Seymour in America

Seymour is the 1394th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Seymour surname appeared 25,436 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Seymour.

We can also compare 2010 data for Seymour 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 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Seymour

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Seymour, 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!