# Seward (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/seward/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 10,399 |
| US rank (2010) | 3,430 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 29,690 people |
| Change since 2000 | +4.1% (9,987 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈs(j)u.əɹd/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Originally two distinct names: * Middle English Seward, Siward, from Old English Siġeweard, from Proto-West Germanic *Sigiwardu, from Proto-Germanic *Sigiwarduz, from *segaz (“victory”) + *warduz (“guard”). * Middle English Seward, from Old English Sǣweard, from sǣ (“sea”) + weard (“guard”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Seward in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 75% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 20% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.0% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 2.5% |

## Similar surnames

Swart, Sword, Sheard, Short, Sherwood, Serrato, Sherrod, Sorto, Surratt, Shortt, Swihart, Siewert.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.