2000
#119,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Seeback
A locational surname derived from a place name referring to a coastal area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Seeback. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seeback 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Seeback in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seeback, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seeback
The surname SEEBACK originates from Germany, with its earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It likely derives from the Old German words "see" (sea or lake) and "back" (stream or creek), suggesting the name's bearers initially resided near a body of water.
In the late 1500s, the name appears in various municipal records from the regions of Saxony and Bavaria. One notable early reference is a 1587 entry in the church registry of Meissen, documenting the marriage of Hans SEEBACK to Margarethe Müller.
By the 17th century, the SEEBACK name had spread across central and southern Germany. Johann SEEBACK (1624-1701), a Lutheran theologian from Leipzig, authored several influential religious texts during this era. His contemporary, Christoph SEEBACK (1628-1692), was a renowned painter from Nuremberg, known for his vivid biblical scenes.
The 18th century saw the SEEBACK name establish roots in Prussia, with records from Königsberg (now Kaliningrad) indicating a prosperous merchant family bearing this surname. One member, Friedrich SEEBACK (1743-1819), achieved distinction as a military officer during the Napoleonic Wars.
As Germans increasingly immigrated to North America in the 19th century, the SEEBACK name followed. Among the earliest recorded arrivals was Heinrich SEEBACK (1810-1879), who settled in Pennsylvania in 1832. His descendants went on to establish successful farming operations throughout the Midwest.
Other noteworthy SEEBACKs from this period include the Prussian explorer and naturalist Wilhelm SEEBACK (1826-1892), renowned for his expeditions in South America, and the influential Austrian philosopher and logician Friedrich SEEBACK (1848-1924), whose work laid foundations for modern analytic philosophy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seeback
Among Census respondents with the surname Seeback, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Seeback 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 Seeback surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seeback
Seeback 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
#119,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
+11 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 136 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-46 bearers (-31.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 36,497 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #119,644 | 134 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #119,508 | 145 | 0.05 | +11 bearers (+8.2%) | Up 136 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -46 bearers (-31.7%) | Down 36,497 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 Seeback 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 | #119,508 | #156,005 | -30.5% |
| Count | 145 | 99 | -31.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.03 | -33.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seeback bearers went from 145 to 99 (-31.7% change). The surname moved down 36,497 positions in the national ranking, going from #119,508 to #156,005.
FAQ
Seeback surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seeback?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Seeback. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Seeback?
Seeback ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Seeback. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Seeback.
Has Seeback become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seeback went from 145 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 46 (-31.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #119,508 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Seeback?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seeback, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%). 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 Seeback in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seeback appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (4.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%). 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 Seeback (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 Seeback mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name referring to a coastal area. 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 Seeback (0.03 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 share the surname Seeback?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.