Find out how popular the last name Seal is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Seal.

Seal, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Seal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Seal in America

Seal is the 3797th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Seal surname appeared 9,316 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Seal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Seal to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Seal

The surname SEAL originated in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word 'sæl', meaning a salt-making settlement or a homestead near a salt marsh. The name was likely an occupational name for someone who lived near or worked in a salt marsh or salt works.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname SEAL can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the year 1176, where it is listed as 'Sele'. In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several references to places with names like 'Sela' and 'Sele', which may have been the origins of the surname.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as 'de Sele', 'atte Sele', and 'Sele'. These variations suggest that the name was associated with specific places or settlements. For instance, the village of Seal in Kent, England, was known as 'Sele' in the Domesday Book.

Notable bearers of the SEAL surname include William Seal (1493-1568), who was an English Protestant reformer and Bishop of Peterborough. Another notable figure was John Seal (1575-1632), an English clergyman and author who served as Rector of Clerkenwell in London.

In the 17th century, the SEAL surname can be found in various records, such as the marriage of William Seal and Elizabeth Smith in 1632 in Tottenham, Middlesex. During this period, the name also appeared in the form 'Seale', as evidenced by the birth record of John Seale in 1654 in Weston, Hertfordshire.

Other notable individuals with the SEAL surname include Sir Henry Seal (1779-1849), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars, and Thomas Seal (1833-1920), an English cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire.

The surname SEAL continued to be found throughout England and later spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, as a result of migration and colonization.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Seal

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Seal.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Seal was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Seal has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Seal was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Seal, please contact us.

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