2000
#16,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,617
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.60
Rare Last name
Selleck
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "ploughland in a nook or corner".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,699 Americans carry the last name Selleck. That puts it at #18,459 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 201,739 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Selleck surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Selleck with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.7K
1 in 201,739
Census rank
#18,459
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,482 bearers of the surname Selleck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18459th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Selleck, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Selleck
The surname Selleck originated in England, with its earliest roots traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "sael" (hall) and "wic" (dwelling), suggesting it may have initially referred to someone who lived in a hall or manor house.
One of the earliest known references to the name Selleck can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as "Salewic" in Suffolk. This suggests the name was already in use in England by the late 11th century.
During the 13th century, the surname began appearing in various spellings, such as Sellock, Sellok, and Selloke, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. Some records from this period indicate the name may have been associated with certain locations, such as Sellack in Herefordshire or Selworthy in Somerset.
In the 14th century, the name Selleck gained prominence with the birth of John Selleck (c. 1330-1400), a prominent landowner and knight who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. His descendants continued to hold significant estates in various parts of England over the following centuries.
Another notable figure was Sir William Selleck (1590-1657), a member of the English gentry and a staunch Royalist during the English Civil War. He was knighted by King Charles I in 1641 for his loyal service.
In the 18th century, the Reverend Nathaniel Selleck (1714-1785) was a respected clergyman and author, known for his religious writings and sermons published during his lifetime.
The 19th century saw the birth of James Selleck (1827-1899), a prominent businessman and entrepreneur who made his fortune in the textile industry in Lancashire, England.
Across the Atlantic, the name also has a history in the United States, with records showing Sellecks settling in New England as early as the 17th century. One of the earliest known was David Selleck (1648-1717), a farmer and landowner in Stamford, Connecticut.
Throughout its long history, the surname Selleck has maintained a strong presence in various parts of the English-speaking world, with notable individuals continuing to carry on the legacy of this ancient name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Selleck
Among Census respondents with the surname Selleck, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Selleck bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Selleck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 1,358
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 68
- Two or more races2.9% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 9
- Black or African American0.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Selleck
Selleck appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#16,809
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,698
+81 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Down 418 places
2020
#18,459
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,482
-216 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.50
Rank movement Down 1,650 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,391 | 1,617 | 0.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,809 | 1,698 | 0.58 | +81 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 418 places |
| 2020 | #18,459 | 1,482 | 0.50 | -216 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 1,650 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Selleck surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #16,809 | #18,459 | -9.8% |
| Count | 1,698 | 1,482 | -12.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.58 | 0.50 | -14.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Selleck bearers went from 1,698 to 1,482 (-12.7% change). The surname moved down 1,650 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,809 to #18,459.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Selleck
FAQ
Selleck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Selleck?
Name Census estimates that about 1,699 living Americans carry the surname Selleck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 201,739 residents.
How common is Selleck?
Selleck ranks #18,459 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,482 people with the surname Selleck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,699), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Selleck.
Has Selleck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Selleck went from 1,698 recorded bearers to 1,482. That is a decrease of 216 (-12.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,809 to #18,459.
What does the Census say about the background of Selleck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Selleck, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Selleck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (1,358 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Selleck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (2.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Selleck (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Selleck mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "ploughland in a nook or corner". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Selleck (0.50 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Selleck?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Selleck, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.