2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sehring
A German surname derived from the Old German word "serja" meaning a soldier or warrior.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Sehring. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sehring 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Sehring in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sehring, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sehring
The surname Sehring is of German origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "sehren," which means "to see" or "to look."
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Sehring name can be found in the church records of the town of Maulbronn, located in Baden-Württemberg, dating back to the late 1500s. These records document several families bearing the Sehring surname, suggesting that the name had already been established in the region by that time.
In the 17th century, the Sehring name appears in various historical documents, such as land records and tax registers, in towns and villages throughout southern Germany. This indicates that the name had spread to various parts of the region, likely due to migration and the establishment of new branches of the family.
One notable individual bearing the Sehring surname was Johann Sehring, a renowned clockmaker born in Nuremberg in 1668. His intricate and beautifully crafted clocks were highly sought after by the nobility and wealthy merchants of the time. Johann Sehring's legacy as a master craftsman helped to establish the name's association with precision and craftsmanship.
Another historical figure with the Sehring name was Christoph Sehring, a Lutheran theologian born in Württemberg in 1732. Christoph Sehring was known for his scholarly writings on religious topics and his involvement in the debates surrounding the Enlightenment movement in Germany.
In the 19th century, the Sehring name continued to appear in various German records, including birth, marriage, and death registries. One notable individual from this period was Friedrich Sehring, a prominent mathematician and educator born in Stuttgart in 1827. Friedrich Sehring made significant contributions to the field of geometry and published several influential textbooks that were widely used in German universities.
As the Sehring family spread throughout Germany and beyond, the name underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Sehringer, Seehring, and Sehringer. However, the core pronunciation and meaning of the name remained consistent, reflecting its long-standing German heritage.
Throughout its history, the Sehring surname has been associated with skilled craftspeople, scholars, and individuals who have made notable contributions to their respective fields. While not as widely known as some other German surnames, the Sehring name holds a rich legacy that spans centuries and reflects the diverse cultural and intellectual traditions of Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sehring
Among Census respondents with the surname Sehring, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Sehring 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 Sehring surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 121
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sehring
Sehring 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+15 bearers (+14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,136 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+4 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 799 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.7%) | Up 6,136 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.4%) | Up 799 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 Sehring 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 | #142,108 | #141,309 | 0.6% |
| Count | 117 | 121 | 3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sehring bearers went from 117 to 121 (+3.4% change). The surname moved up 799 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #141,309.
FAQ
Sehring surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sehring?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Sehring. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Sehring?
Sehring ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Sehring. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Sehring.
Has Sehring become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sehring went from 117 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 4 (+3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #142,108 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Sehring?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sehring, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Sehring in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (121 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sehring appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Sehring (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 Sehring mean?
A German surname derived from the Old German word "serja" meaning a soldier or warrior. 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 Sehring (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 Sehring?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.