The Seay surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 14,046 people carried this name — #2,573 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 21,000 people counted. That is up 4% from 13,492 in 2000.

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In the first U.S. census, 1790

52 families named Seay, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 320 people lived in those households, 6.1 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 4 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Virginia 30
New York 9
South Carolina 5
Maryland 3
North Carolina 3
Pennsylvania 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 261 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Seay in American newspapers,
1892–1918.

Newspaper page from Belington Progressive carrying the name Seay
Belington Progressive 1918-04-18
Newspaper page from Spirit Of Jefferson carrying the name Seay
Spirit Of Jefferson 1918-04-23
Newspaper page from The Wichita Daily Eagle carrying the name Seay
The Wichita Daily Eagle 1892-01-07

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 58,144 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Seay in Australian newspapers,
1880s–1960s.

153 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Seay. The most, 32, date from the 1950s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Queensland, at 1.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 60
Queensland 58
Victoria 19
South Australia 8
Western Australia 4
ACT (Canberra) 2
Tasmania 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Seay.

Who carried it

People named Seay,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Abraham Jefferson Seay
    Abraham Jefferson Seay 1832–1915 · judge
  • Thomas Seay
    Thomas Seay 1846–1896 · lawyer
  • Charles M. Seay
    Charles M. Seay 1867–1944 · screenwriter
  • Edward T. Seay
    Edward T. Seay 1868–1941 · lawyer
  • James Seay
    James Seay 1914–1992 · actor
  • Samuel Seay d. 1913

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Seay,
in the records of 4 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States852 records

852 records of the Seay name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 562
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 227
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 41
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 12
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 3
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 2
  • Riverside Cemetery, Asheville (North Carolina) 1
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record James D. Seay

    Born 1920 in South Carolina. Enlisted 1941 at Spartanburg; textile mill worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at White Rose Cemetery, Spartanburg, South Carolina.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Bobby Darel Seay

    Born 1935; from Waukegan, Illinois. U.S. Air Force; died in an accident 1970 in Ninh Thuan, South Vietnam. Buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Catherine Seay

    Arrived at New York in 1853 aboard the Ashburton from Liverpool, aged 18; servant. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 852 records for Seay in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

New Zealand9 records

9 records of the Seay name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Nixon Seay

    Died 1912, aged 23; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ivan Atherton Seay

    Died 1968, aged 65; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Robert Seay

    Died 1873; buried at Addington Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 9 records for Seay in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Australia4 records

4 records of the Seay name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 2
  • Tasmanian Names Index 1
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Ivan Atherton Seay

    Company director of Christchurch, New Zealand; died 1968.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 4 records for Seay in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

France3 records

3 records of the Seay name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Juliette Seay

    Born 1895 in Lyon; died 1987 in Lyon (Rhône).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Emilie Seay

    Born 1901 in Lyon (Rhône); died 1991 in Viriat (Ain).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Germaine Melanie Seay

    Born 1896 in Lyon; died 1978 in Villeurbanne (Rhône).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Seay.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Seay is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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