2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Seebode
A German occupational surname referring to someone who lived by a lake or pond.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Seebode. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seebode 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Seebode in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seebode, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seebode
The surname SEEBODE is of German origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is thought to have originated in the region of Lower Saxony, where it was likely derived from a combination of the Middle Low German words "see" (meaning lake or sea) and "bode" (meaning messenger or courier).
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SEEBODE name appears in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the Archdiocese of Bremen, which mentions a "Johannes Seebode" in the year 1387. This suggests that the name may have already been established in the area by the late 14th century.
During the Middle Ages, surnames were often derived from occupations or geographic features, and it is possible that the SEEBODE name was initially given to someone who worked as a messenger or courier in coastal or lakeside areas. The name may have also been associated with a specific place name that has since been lost or changed over time.
Notable individuals with the SEEBODE surname include Johann Seebode (1625-1701), a German theologian and author who served as a pastor in Lübeck. Another prominent figure was Friedrich Seebode (1789-1863), a German jurist and politician who served as the Mayor of Lübeck from 1848 to 1853.
In the 19th century, the SEEBODE name appears in the records of several German cities, including Hamburg, Bremen, and Lübeck, suggesting that the family had spread across northern Germany by that time. One example is Gustav Seebode (1832-1912), a German writer and poet who was born in Lübeck.
Another individual of note was Wilhelm Seebode (1851-1919), a German architect and urban planner who was influential in the development of modern city planning concepts. He was born in Oldenburg and is known for his work in cities such as Bremen and Hanover.
While the SEEBODE surname may have originated in a specific region of Germany, it has since been carried by individuals and families across various parts of the country and even beyond, reflecting the migration patterns and historical movements of people over centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seebode
Among Census respondents with the surname Seebode, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Seebode 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 Seebode surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 89
- Two or more races7.7% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 4
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seebode
Seebode 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+7 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,398 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-18 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 16,263 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 2,398 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -18 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 16,263 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 Seebode 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 | #137,327 | #153,590 | -11.8% |
| Count | 122 | 104 | -14.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seebode bearers went from 122 to 104 (-14.8% change). The surname moved down 16,263 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #153,590.
FAQ
Seebode surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seebode?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Seebode. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Seebode?
Seebode ranks #153,590 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 104 people with the surname Seebode. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), 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 Seebode.
Has Seebode become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seebode went from 122 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 18 (-14.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Seebode?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seebode, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%). 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 Seebode in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seebode appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.6%), Two or More Races (7.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%). 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 Seebode (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 Seebode mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who lived by a lake or pond. 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 Seebode (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 are called Seebode?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Seebode, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.