2010
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Seehawer
A German occupational surname derived from the word "See" meaning lake and "Hauer" meaning woodcutter, referring to one who cleared forests near lakes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Seehawer. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seehawer 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Seehawer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seehawer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seehawer
The surname SEEHAWER originates from Germany, with its roots tracing back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German words "see" meaning "lake" and "hawer" denoting a profession related to the cutting or hewing of materials, possibly connected to forestry or mining activities near lakes or water bodies.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SEEHAWER name can be found in a historical document from the town of Mühlhausen, in modern-day Thuringia, dated 1467. This document mentions a certain Hans SEEHAWER, who was a woodcutter residing near the banks of a local lake.
During the 16th century, the name SEEHAWER appeared in several parish records and land registries in the regions of Saxony and Brandenburg. Notably, a certain Friedrich SEEHAWER, born in 1523, was a prominent figure in the mining community of Freiberg, where he oversaw the excavation and transportation of ores from nearby lakes.
In the 17th century, the SEEHAWER name gained further prominence with the birth of Johann SEEHAWER (1624-1689), a renowned theologian and philosopher who authored several influential works on the principles of natural law and ethics. He spent a significant portion of his life as a professor at the University of Leipzig.
Another notable figure bearing the SEEHAWER name was Wilhelm SEEHAWER (1768-1842), a skilled architect and urban planner. He was responsible for the design and construction of several iconic buildings and public spaces in the city of Berlin, including the renowned Gendarmenmarkt square.
Moving into the 19th century, the SEEHAWER family continued to make their mark in various fields. Carl SEEHAWER (1801-1876) was a celebrated artist renowned for his landscape paintings depicting the breathtaking scenery of the German lakes and rivers. His works were widely exhibited and admired throughout Europe during his lifetime.
While the SEEHAWER name has its roots in Germany, over the centuries, it has spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, the core essence of the name remains tied to its Germanic origins, reflecting a connection to lakes, natural resources, and the professions associated with them.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seehawer
Among Census respondents with the surname Seehawer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Seehawer 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 Seehawer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 98
- Two or more races6.5% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seehawer
Seehawer appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-13 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,631 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 12,631 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 Seehawer 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 | #138,304 | #150,935 | -9.1% |
| Count | 121 | 108 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seehawer bearers went from 121 to 108 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 12,631 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #150,935.
FAQ
Seehawer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seehawer?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Seehawer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Seehawer?
Seehawer ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Seehawer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Seehawer.
Has Seehawer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seehawer went from 121 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Seehawer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seehawer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Seehawer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seehawer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (6.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Seehawer (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 Seehawer mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the word "See" meaning lake and "Hauer" meaning woodcutter, referring to one who cleared forests near lakes. 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 Seehawer (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 Americans have the surname Seehawer?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.