2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Seemiller
German surname meaning "lake miller" or a miller who works near a lake.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Seemiller. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seemiller 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Seemiller in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seemiller, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seemiller
The surname "SEEMILLER" is believed to have originated in Germany during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the German words "see" meaning lake or sea, and "miller" referring to a profession or occupation. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a body of water and worked as a miller, grinding grains into flour.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "SEEMILLER" can be found in a 16th-century registry from the town of Augsburg in Bavaria. This document lists a certain Hans Seemiller, born around 1520, as a resident and miller in the town.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various church records and tax rolls from the regions of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. A notable figure from this time was Johann Seemiller (1622-1688), a prosperous landowner and miller in the village of Neckarhausen.
As the centuries progressed, the Seemiller family spread across various parts of Germany and Austria. One notable individual was Friedrich Seemiller (1801-1878), a renowned clockmaker from the city of Stuttgart. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the nobility and wealthy merchants of the time.
In the 19th century, the name Seemiller can be found in records from the Kingdom of Bavaria. One prominent figure was Wilhelm Seemiller (1838-1912), a respected judge and legal scholar who served in the Bavarian court system.
Another notable Seemiller was Emma Seemiller (1865-1942), a pioneering female artist and painter from Munich. Her works were exhibited in galleries across Europe and she was praised for her innovative use of color and light.
As families emigrated from German-speaking regions of Europe, the Seemiller name spread to other parts of the world. However, the earliest recorded instances and historical references to the name remain rooted in the regions of Germany and Austria.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seemiller
Among Census respondents with the surname Seemiller, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Seemiller 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 Seemiller surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.7% · 116
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seemiller
Seemiller 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
#118,853
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146
+15 bearers (+11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 2,927 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-26 bearers (-17.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,196 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #118,853 | 146 | 0.05 | +15 bearers (+11.5%) | Up 2,927 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -26 bearers (-17.8%) | Down 23,196 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 Seemiller 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 | #118,853 | #142,049 | -19.5% |
| Count | 146 | 120 | -17.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seemiller bearers went from 146 to 120 (-17.8% change). The surname moved down 23,196 positions in the national ranking, going from #118,853 to #142,049.
FAQ
Seemiller surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seemiller?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Seemiller. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Seemiller?
Seemiller ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Seemiller. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Seemiller.
Has Seemiller become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seemiller went from 146 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 26 (-17.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #118,853 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Seemiller?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seemiller, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Seemiller in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seemiller appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.7%), Two or More Races (1.7%), Black (0.8%). 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 Seemiller (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 Seemiller mean?
German surname meaning "lake miller" or a miller who works near a lake. 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 Seemiller (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 people have the surname Seemiller?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.