Find out how popular the last name Seele is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Seele.

Seele, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Seele surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Seele in America

Seele is the 81181st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Seele surname appeared 233 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Seele.

We can also compare 2010 data for Seele to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Seele

The surname Seele has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "sela," which means "soul" or "spirit." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to describe someone with a particularly strong or spiritual character.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Seele can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, which mentions a "Henricus Seele" in the year 1272. Additionally, the name appears in various medieval records and manuscripts from different parts of Germany, such as the Württembergisches Urkundenbuch, which references a "Johannes Seele" in 1391.

The name Seele has also been associated with certain place names and their older spellings. For instance, the town of Seel in Lower Saxony may have contributed to the formation of the surname, as people were often identified by their place of origin or residence in those times.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the Seele surname. One of the earliest was Hans Seele (c. 1450-1520), a German painter and wood carver known for his work in the churches of Swabia. Another prominent figure was Johann Seele (1563-1631), a Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Marburg.

In the 19th century, Friedrich Seele (1805-1878) was a German philosopher and writer who made significant contributions to the study of logic and metaphysics. More recently, Wolfgang Seele (1933-2017) was a renowned German architect and urban planner, best known for his work on the Olympic Park in Munich.

Other individuals with the Seele surname include Johann Gottfried Seele (1777-1849), a German theologian and author, and Theodor Seele (1863-1927), a German politician and member of the Reichstag.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Seele

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Seele.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Seele was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Seele has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Seele was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Seele, please contact us.

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