2000
#118,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Seberg
A locational surname referring to someone from a town or place called Seberg.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 140 Americans carry the last name Seberg. That puts it at #140,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,448,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seberg 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.
Bearers in the US
140
1 in 2,448,245
Census rank
#140,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
122
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 122 bearers of the surname Seberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 140525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seberg
The surname Seberg originates from Germany and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Low German word "seeberg," which means "sea mountain" or "sea hill." This suggests that the name may have been associated with families living near coastal areas or regions with hills or mountains near the sea.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Seberg surname can be found in the church records of the town of Mecklenburg, Germany, in the late 1500s. The name was also documented in various legal documents and land records in northern Germany during the 17th and 18th centuries.
While there are no direct references to the Seberg name in major historical manuscripts like the Domesday Book, some variations of the name, such as "Seeberg" and "Seebergh," have been found in local parish records and town chronicles from various parts of Germany during the medieval and early modern periods.
Among the notable individuals who bore the Seberg surname, one can mention Johann Seberg (1592-1658), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Rostock. Another prominent figure was Wilhelm Seberg (1722-1799), a German architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the city of Hamburg.
In the 19th century, Heinrich Seberg (1818-1892) was a German businessman and industrialist who established a successful textile manufacturing company in the city of Bielefeld. His son, Otto Seberg (1850-1922), continued the family business and became a prominent philanthropist, supporting various educational and cultural institutions in the region.
One of the most famous individuals with the Seberg surname was the American actress Jean Seberg (1938-1979), whose paternal ancestors were of German descent. She gained international recognition for her roles in films such as "Breathless" and "Paint Your Wagon," and was also known for her involvement in the civil rights movement.
While the Seberg name is not among the most common surnames globally, it has a rich history rooted in the coastal regions of northern Germany, with various individuals bearing this name making notable contributions in fields ranging from academia and architecture to business and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Seberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Seberg 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 Seberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 119
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seberg
Seberg 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-34 bearers (-25.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 40,196 places
2020
#140,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+20 bearers (+19.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 17,907 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,236 | 136 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -34 bearers (-25.0%) | Down 40,196 places |
| 2020 | #140,525 | 122 | 0.04 | +20 bearers (+19.6%) | Up 17,907 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 Seberg 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 | #158,432 | #140,525 | 11.3% |
| Count | 102 | 122 | 19.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 36.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seberg bearers went from 102 to 122 (+19.6% change). The surname moved up 17,907 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #140,525.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Seberg
FAQ
Seberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seberg?
Name Census estimates that about 140 living Americans carry the surname Seberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,448,245 residents.
How common is Seberg?
Seberg ranks #140,525 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 122 people with the surname Seberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (140), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Seberg.
Has Seberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seberg went from 102 recorded bearers to 122. That is an increase of 20 (+19.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #140,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Seberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Seberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (119 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), Black (0.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Seberg (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 Seberg mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a town or place called Seberg. 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 Seberg (0.04 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 have the surname Seberg?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.