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

Seals, 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 Seals surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Seals in America

Seals is the 2299th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Seals surname appeared 15,858 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Seals.

We can also compare 2010 data for Seals 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 Seals

The surname SEALS is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "seolh," which means "seal" and refers to the marine mammal. This surname likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who worked with seals or had some physical resemblance to the animal.

The earliest known record of the SEALS surname dates back to the late 13th century. In the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk, compiled between 1273 and 1276, there is a mention of a person named Roger Sele, which is believed to be an early variant of the SEALS surname.

During the 14th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as Selle, Sele, and Seel, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation at the time. One notable example is John Sele, who was mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1334.

In the 15th century, the surname began to take on its more modern form, with the "s" added to the end. One of the earliest recorded instances of the SEALS spelling can be found in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence from the influential Paston family in Norfolk, where a person named William Seals is mentioned in a letter dated around 1472.

Over the centuries, the SEALS surname has been associated with several notable individuals. In the 16th century, there was John Seals (c. 1520 - c. 1590), an English landowner and farmer from Gloucestershire. In the 17th century, Samuel Seals (1640 - 1702) was a prominent merchant and philanthropist in London.

Moving into the 18th century, we find Thomas Seals (1708 - 1784), a British naval officer who served during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. In the 19th century, Henry Seals (1830 - 1905) was a renowned English architect known for his work on churches and public buildings.

Another notable figure was Elizabeth Seals (1860 - 1942), an American educator and activist who played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement and the establishment of several educational institutions in the United States.

These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the SEALS surname. While the name may have originated as a descriptive nickname, it has since become a proud part of many family histories and has left its mark on various fields and endeavors.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Seals

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

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 Seals 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 Seals 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 Seals was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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