Seith
A masculine Arabic name meaning "gift" or "generosity".
Name Census estimates that about 121 living Americans carry the first name Seith. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Seith today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Seith births was 1999 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Seith. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
121
~ 1 in 2,832,680 Americans
Peak year
1999
12 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2005 SSA rank
#13,027
Tracked since 1978
Census
Seith in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 120 people with the first name Seith, which placed it at #50,338 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#50,338
National first-name rank
People counted
120
120 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
73.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seith
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Seith is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Hispanic (7.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Seith 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Seith at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.3% · 88
- Black or African American9.2% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino7.5% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.2% · 5
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 3
Popularity
Seith: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Seith from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 44 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Seith remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Seith by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Seith during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Seith
The name Seith has its origins in ancient Gaelic culture, believed to have emerged in the early medieval period around the 5th century. It is derived from the Old Irish word "séith," which translates to "blast" or "storm," suggesting a connection to the natural forces of wind and weather.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Seith can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In this text, a figure named Seith mac Feradaig is mentioned as having died in the year 704 AD. While little is known about this individual, their inclusion in the annals indicates the use of the name during that time period.
Throughout history, the name Seith has been associated with various individuals of note. One such figure was Seith Bhútanách, a renowned Irish poet and scholar who lived in the 9th century. He is credited with composing several works that have contributed to the preservation of Irish literary traditions.
In the 12th century, a Scottish nobleman named Seith de Quincy played a significant role in the political affairs of the time. He served as a trusted advisor to King William I of Scotland and was granted extensive lands for his loyalty and service.
Moving into the 15th century, Seith Ó Maoil Chonaire was a prominent Irish scribe and historian. His works, including the Annals of Loch Cé, provide valuable insights into the cultural and political landscape of Ireland during that era.
Another notable figure was Seith Bhán, an Irish chieftain and military leader who lived in the 16th century. He is remembered for his valor and leadership in battles against English forces during the Tudor conquest of Ireland.
In more recent times, Seith Procopius was a renowned Austrian composer and organist who lived from 1659 to 1716. His compositions, which include numerous sacred works and operas, contributed significantly to the development of Baroque music.
While the name Seith has largely fallen out of common usage in modern times, its rich history and connections to various cultures and individuals throughout the ages remain a testament to its enduring legacy.
People
Seith + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Seith as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Seith: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Seith?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 121 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Seith going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,832,680 US residents.
Is Seith a common name?
We classify Seith as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 125 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Seith most popular?
The single biggest year for Seith was 1999, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Seith is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Seith in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 120 people with the name Seith, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #50,338 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Seith in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Seith?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Seith leans strongly male. 121 people counted with this name were male (98.4%), compared with 2 female bearers (1.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Seith?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Seith is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Hispanic (7.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Seith most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Seith in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.3% (88 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Seith in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Seith a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Seith in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Seith still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Seith in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Seith can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Seith?
See how many people share the name Seith on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.