2000
#91,404
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 187
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Seeberg
A German surname derived from a geographical feature, likely referring to a location near a lake or sea.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 228 Americans carry the last name Seeberg. That puts it at #97,730 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,503,309 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seeberg 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
228
1 in 1,503,309
Census rank
#97,730
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
199
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 199 bearers of the surname Seeberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 97730th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seeberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.5%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seeberg
The surname "SEEBERG" is of German origin, deriving from the Middle High German words "sē" meaning "lake" and "berg" meaning "mountain" or "hill." It likely originated as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near a lakeside hill or mountain. The earliest recorded instance of this surname dates back to the 13th century.
One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Johannes Seeberg, a German monk and theologian born in 1508 in Saxony. He was a prominent figure during the Protestant Reformation and served as a professor at the University of Leipzig.
Another notable bearer of this name was Reinhold Seeberg, a German Protestant theologian and church historian born in 1859 in Schleswig-Holstein. He authored several works on the history of dogma and was a professor at the University of Berlin.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in the records of the city of Cologne, where a family by the name of Seeberg resided. One member, Hans Seeberg, was a respected merchant and guild member in the city during that time.
The Seeberg surname has also been present in Switzerland, particularly in the canton of Bern. In the 17th century, a notable figure named Jakob Seeberg served as a magistrate and played a significant role in the governance of the city of Bern.
Another individual of note was Johann Seeberg, a German composer and organist born in 1719 in Saxony. He composed several works for the organ and was highly regarded for his skills as a musician during his lifetime.
While the surname "SEEBERG" originates from German-speaking regions, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and emigration. However, its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when it likely referred to individuals living near lakeside hills or mountains in Germany and neighboring areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seeberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Seeberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.5%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Seeberg 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 Seeberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 190
- Two or more races1.5% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seeberg
Seeberg 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
#98,099
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 185
-2 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 6,695 places
2020
#97,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 199
+14 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 369 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #91,404 | 187 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #98,099 | 185 | 0.06 | -2 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 6,695 places |
| 2020 | #97,730 | 199 | 0.07 | +14 bearers (+7.6%) | Up 369 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 Seeberg 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 | #98,099 | #97,730 | 0.4% |
| Count | 185 | 199 | 7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.07 | 11.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seeberg bearers went from 185 to 199 (+7.6% change). The surname moved up 369 positions in the national ranking, going from #98,099 to #97,730.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Seeberg
FAQ
Seeberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seeberg?
Name Census estimates that about 228 living Americans carry the surname Seeberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,503,309 residents.
How common is Seeberg?
Seeberg ranks #97,730 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 199 people with the surname Seeberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (228), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Seeberg.
Has Seeberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seeberg went from 185 recorded bearers to 199. That is an increase of 14 (+7.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #98,099 to #97,730.
What does the Census say about the background of Seeberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seeberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.5%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Seeberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (190 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seeberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Two or More Races (1.5%), Black (1.0%). 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 Seeberg (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 Seeberg mean?
A German surname derived from a geographical feature, likely referring to a location near a lake or sea. 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 Seeberg (0.07 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 last name Seeberg?
Want to know how many people have the last name Seeberg? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.