NameCensus.

UK surname

Seager

An occupational surname referring to a sawyer or woodcutter.

In the 1881 census there were 1,645 people recorded with the Seager surname, ranking it #2,609 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,521, ranked #2,622, down from #2,609 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hadleigh, London parishes and St Giles Camberwell. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Babergh, Swale and Ipswich.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Seager is 2,739 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 53.3%.

1881 census count

1,645

Ranked #2,609

Modern count

2,521

2016, ranked #2,622

Peak year

1999

2,739 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Seager had 1,645 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,609 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,521 in 2016, ranked #2,622.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,343 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Seager surname distribution map

The map shows where the Seager surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Seager surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Seager over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 987 #2,829
1861 historical 861 #3,212
1881 historical 1,645 #2,609
1891 historical 1,812 #2,536
1901 historical 2,123 #2,534
1911 historical 2,343 #2,181
1997 modern 2,623 #2,428
1998 modern 2,721 #2,436
1999 modern 2,739 #2,438
2000 modern 2,733 #2,429
2001 modern 2,655 #2,447
2002 modern 2,717 #2,441
2003 modern 2,636 #2,458
2004 modern 2,633 #2,461
2005 modern 2,535 #2,514
2006 modern 2,567 #2,483
2007 modern 2,579 #2,491
2008 modern 2,595 #2,494
2009 modern 2,669 #2,492
2010 modern 2,698 #2,524
2011 modern 2,662 #2,528
2012 modern 2,525 #2,600
2013 modern 2,568 #2,608
2014 modern 2,579 #2,603
2015 modern 2,529 #2,627
2016 modern 2,521 #2,622

Geography

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Where Seagers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hadleigh, London parishes, St Giles Camberwell and Ipswich St Mary Stoke. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Babergh, Swale and Ipswich. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Hadleigh Suffolk
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Giles Camberwell London (South Districts)
5 Ipswich St Mary Stoke Suffolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Babergh 004 Babergh
2 Swale 010 Swale
3 Swale 005 Swale
4 Babergh 005 Babergh
5 Ipswich 013 Ipswich

Forenames

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First names often paired with Seager

These lists show first names that appear often with the Seager surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Seager

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Seager, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Seager surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Seager household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Seager is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Seager is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Seager falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Seager is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Seager, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Seager

The surname Seager originated in England, with its roots traced back to the 13th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "secg" or "saeg," which referred to a type of marsh plant or sedge. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near an area abundant with these plants.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Huntingdonshire Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "William le Seggere." This form of the name reflects the addition of the occupational suffix "-er," indicating that the bearer may have been a gatherer or worker in marshes or areas with sedges.

During the 14th century, the surname appears in various records with spellings such as "Segger," "Seggere," and "Seggare." These variations showcase the fluidity of surnames in the medieval period, as they were often adapted based on local dialects and scribal interpretations.

In the 16th century, the name took on its more modern spelling of "Seager." One notable individual from this period was John Seager, a merchant and ship owner from Kent, who lived from around 1520 to 1595.

The Seager surname has been associated with several prominent figures throughout history. One of the earliest was William Seager, a 16th-century English clergyman and author who was born in Ipswich in 1532 and died in 1594. He is known for his polemical writings against the Catholic Church.

Another notable figure was Sir Charles Seager, a 17th-century English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Southampton. He was born in 1616 and died in 1690.

In the 18th century, Sir John Seager, an English naval officer and explorer, made significant contributions. He was born in 1717 and died in 1785. Seager Island in the Aleutian Islands was named after him in recognition of his voyages and explorations in the region.

Moving into the 19th century, William Seager was a prominent English artist and engraver, born in 1796 and died in 1875. He is particularly known for his engravings of architectural subjects and landscapes.

Finally, in the 20th century, Alan Seager was a British poet and writer who served in World War I. He was born in 1888 and died in 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. His poetry collection, Poems, was published posthumously in 1917.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Seager families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Seager surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Kent leads with 384 Seagers recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.98x.

County Total Index
Kent 384 6.98x
Middlesex 287 1.78x
Surrey 180 2.29x
Suffolk 129 6.57x
Somerset 85 3.28x
Hampshire 65 1.97x
Devon 57 1.70x
Staffordshire 48 0.88x
Norfolk 47 1.90x
Sussex 34 1.25x
Wiltshire 33 2.32x
Worcestershire 29 1.38x
Dorset 28 2.65x
Lancashire 28 0.15x
Warwickshire 25 0.62x
Essex 24 0.75x
Glamorgan 23 0.82x
Gloucestershire 19 0.60x
Hertfordshire 15 1.35x
Yorkshire 14 0.09x
Herefordshire 12 1.82x
Lincolnshire 12 0.47x
Oxfordshire 11 1.11x
Durham 7 0.15x
Northumberland 7 0.29x
Shropshire 7 0.50x
Channel Islands 6 1.26x
Midlothian 6 0.28x
Bedfordshire 5 0.60x
Cheshire 4 0.11x
Northamptonshire 4 0.26x
Nottinghamshire 4 0.18x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.21x
Caernarfonshire 2 0.31x
Lanarkshire 2 0.04x
Caithness 1 0.45x
Cornwall 1 0.05x
Derbyshire 1 0.04x
Leicestershire 1 0.06x
Monmouthshire 1 0.09x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.20x
Royal Navy 1 0.52x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hadleigh in Suffolk leads with 46 Seagers recorded in 1881 and an index of 241.60x.

Place Total Index
Hadleigh 46 241.60x
Camberwell 33 3.21x
St Pancras London 33 2.54x
East Farleigh 31 336.23x
Bermondsey 27 5.63x
Lambeth 25 1.78x
Lewisham 25 8.53x
Chelsea London 22 4.53x
Southwark St George Martyr 21 6.48x
Bilston 20 18.97x
Boxley 20 236.69x
Bethnal Green London 19 2.71x
Bromley London 19 5.36x
Islington London 19 1.22x
Brighton 18 3.28x
Ipswich St Margaret 18 27.03x
Hammersmith London 17 4.28x
Lyncombe Widcombe 17 25.03x
Newington 17 2.86x
Deptford St Paul 16 3.77x
Portsea 16 2.47x
Yeovil 16 30.35x
Hackney London 15 1.66x
Maidstone 15 9.16x
Westminster St John 15 7.64x
Gillingham 14 12.35x
Ipswich St Clement 14 28.06x
Minster In Sheppey 14 15.37x
Battersea 13 2.19x
Birmingham 13 0.96x
Poplar London 13 4.27x
Thornham 13 364.15x
Boughton Monchelsea 12 198.02x
Cardiff St John 12 13.09x
Fulham London 12 5.13x
Mile End Old Town 12 4.72x
Shoreditch London 12 1.72x
Faversham 11 20.98x
Hove 11 9.23x
Ipswich St Mathew 11 20.00x
Leominster 11 40.22x
Plumstead 10 5.46x
Stevenage 10 58.07x
Tibenham 10 286.53x
Walthamstow 10 8.73x
West Derby 10 1.79x
Willenhall 10 9.82x
Bristol Temple 9 43.25x
Hadlow 9 65.98x
Harty 9 1034.48x
Kewstoke 9 220.59x
Meopham 9 132.35x
Shadwell London 9 19.96x
Shalfleet 9 141.29x
West Ham 9 1.28x
Aston 8 0.71x
Bedminster 8 3.28x
Bromham 8 124.61x
Dalwood 8 350.88x
Dartford 8 14.23x
Doddington 8 250.78x
Handsworth 8 5.97x
Ipswich St Peter 8 30.28x
Sherborne 8 25.68x
St George Hanover 8 3.80x
Swanscombe 8 32.39x
Swindon 8 7.24x
West Farleigh 8 377.36x
Cardiff St Mary 7 4.53x
Clerkenwell London 7 1.84x
Deptford St Nicholas 7 16.04x
Erith 7 12.92x
Gateshead 7 1.95x
Henley On Thames 7 34.33x
Kings Norton 7 3.71x
Milton In Milton 7 29.95x
Northfleet 7 14.45x
Patrixbourne 7 518.52x
St Marylebone London 7 0.81x
Whitchurch Canonicorum 7 119.05x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Seager surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 86
Sarah 56
Elizabeth 52
Ellen 39
Emma 36
Alice 35
Eliza 27
Jane 24
Ann 23
Annie 23
Charlotte 18
Emily 17
Louisa 17
Caroline 16
Fanny 12
Frances 12
Catherine 11
Maria 11
Harriet 10
Kate 10
Laura 10
Martha 10
Susan 10
Edith 9
Florence 9
Lucy 9
Anne 8
Clara 8
Margaret 7
Sophia 7
Ada 6
Amelia 6
Rose 6
Elizth. 5
Ethel 5
Hannah 5
Lydia 5
Minnie 5
Agnes 4
Francis 4
Harriett 4
Henrietta 4
Rebecca 4
Eleanor 3
Gertrude 3
Grace 3
Isabella 3
Julia 3
Mabel 3
Rhoda 3

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Seager surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 105
John 80
George 68
James 52
Thomas 42
Henry 36
Charles 26
Robert 26
Alfred 25
Arthur 22
Frederick 20
Joseph 20
Edward 19
Albert 18
Walter 17
Frank 15
Samuel 15
Richard 13
Ernest 10
Edwin 9
Herbert 9
Harry 8
Wm. 7
Benjamin 5
David 5
Robt. 5
Thos. 5
Francis 4
Burges 3
Chas. 3
Eli 3
Fred. 3
Fredk. 3
Geo. 3
Harold 3
Mark 3
Sidney 3
Stephen 3
Daniel 2
Deidrich 2
Earnest 2
Edgar 2
Edmund 2
Epaphro 2
Frederic 2
Fredrick 2
Isaac 2
Jesse 2
Josiah 2
Tom 2

FAQ

Seager surname: questions and answers

How common was the Seager surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,645 people were recorded with the Seager surname. That placed it at #2,609 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Seager surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,521 in 2016. That gives Seager a modern rank of #2,622.

What does the Seager surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a sawyer or woodcutter.

What does the Seager map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Seager bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.