Explore the Family Name Sewall
The meaning of Sewall
English: 1. from the Middle English personal name Sewal(d), Sawal(d), Old English Sǣweald, from sǣ ‘sea’ + weald ‘rule(r)’. This name later became thoroughly confused with Sewal(d) from Old English Sigeweald or Old Norse Sigvaldr (see Sewell). Compare Seawell. 2. variant of Sewell. History: Samuel Sewall (1652–1730) came with his parents from Bishop Stoke, Hampshire, England, to Newbury, MA, as a nine-year-old boy. In 1676 he married Hannah Hull, a wealthy heiress, and in 1681 he was appointed printer to the Council in Boston. He served as a judge in the infamous Salem witchcraft trials of 1692—the only one of the judges to admit publicly that he had been wrong.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Sewall in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Sewall has seen a decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname was ranked 21,254th in popularity with 1,150 instances reported, making it represent 0.43 per 100,000 people. By 2010, however, the ranking had slipped to 23,555 while the count dropped to 1,078, reducing its proportion to 0.37 per 100,000. This represents a change of -10.83 in rank, a -6.26 decline in count, and a -13.95 drop in proportion per 100,000 people.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #21,254 | #23,555 | -10.83% |
| Count | 1,150 | 1,078 | -6.26% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.43 | 0.37 | -13.95% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Sewall
Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Sewall, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows some changes between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the majority of individuals with the Sewall surname identified as White (94.26%), followed by Black (2.96%), Hispanic (1.04%) and those identifying with two or more races (0.96%). No individuals identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native. However, by 2010, while the majority still identified as White (93.32%), there were noticeable increases among those identifying as Hispanic (1.48%) and Black (3.15%). Individuals identifying with two or more races decreased slightly to 0.83%, and for the first time, 1.21% identified as Asian/Pacific Islander. There were still no individuals who identified as American Indian and Alaskan Native.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 94.26% | 93.32% | -1% |
| Black | 2.96% | 3.15% | 6.42% |
| Hispanic | 1.04% | 1.48% | 42.31% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 1.21% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 0.96% | 0.83% | -13.54% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |