2000
#11,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,403
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Sebring
A habitational surname derived from a place name, likely referring to Sebring, Ohio or Sebring, Florida.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,597 Americans carry the last name Sebring. That puts it at #12,964 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,981 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sebring 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
2.6K
1 in 131,981
Census rank
#12,964
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,265 bearers of the surname Sebring in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12964th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sebring, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sebring
The surname Sebring originates from Germany and is believed to have emerged in the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Sebringen," which refers to a location or settlement. The name may have its roots in the town of Sebringen, located in the historical region of Swabia, now part of modern-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Early records show variations in the spelling of the name, including Sebringer, Sebringer, and Sebringar. These variations likely stemmed from regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time. One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the parish records of Sebringen, dating back to the late 1500s.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, as German immigrants began to settle in various parts of Europe and the Americas, the name Sebring started to appear in historical records beyond its place of origin. For example, Johann Sebring, a German immigrant to Pennsylvania, is recorded as having arrived in Philadelphia in 1749.
The name Sebring has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure is Johann Friedrich Sebring (1710-1782), a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious topics. Another prominent bearer of the name was Wilhelm Sebring (1825-1901), a German-born American businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the city of New York.
In the United States, the name Sebring gained further recognition due to its association with the Sebring International Raceway in Florida. The raceway was established in 1950 and named after Harry A. Sebring (1900-1986), a prominent businessman and racing enthusiast from Michigan who helped fund its construction.
Other notable individuals with the surname Sebring include:
1. Carl Sebring (1873-1945), an American baseball player who competed in the early 20th century.
2. John Sebring (1826-1912), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War, who later became a prominent lawyer and politician in Ohio.
3. Eliza Sebring (1816-1873), an American author and editor known for her works on domestic economy and household management.
4. Ira Sebring (1828-1902), a lawyer and judge from New York, who served as a justice on the New York Supreme Court.
5. Nellie Sebring (1862-1942), an American educator and suffragist, who played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement in Ohio.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sebring
Among Census respondents with the surname Sebring, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sebring 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 Sebring surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 2,099
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 63
- Two or more races2.7% · 61
- Black or African American0.8% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sebring
Sebring 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
#12,440
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,497
+94 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 509 places
2020
#12,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,265
-232 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 524 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,931 | 2,403 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,440 | 2,497 | 0.85 | +94 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 509 places |
| 2020 | #12,964 | 2,265 | 0.76 | -232 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 524 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 Sebring 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 | #12,440 | #12,964 | -4.2% |
| Count | 2,497 | 2,265 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.76 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sebring bearers went from 2,497 to 2,265 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 524 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,440 to #12,964.
FAQ
Sebring surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sebring?
Name Census estimates that about 2,597 living Americans carry the surname Sebring. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,981 residents.
How common is Sebring?
Sebring ranks #12,964 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,265 people with the surname Sebring. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,597), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sebring.
Has Sebring become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sebring went from 2,497 recorded bearers to 2,265. That is a decrease of 232 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,440 to #12,964.
What does the Census say about the background of Sebring?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sebring, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Sebring in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (2,099 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sebring appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Sebring (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 Sebring mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name, likely referring to Sebring, Ohio or Sebring, Florida. 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 Sebring (0.76 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 Americans have the surname Sebring?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.