2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Sehrt
An occupational surname derived from the German word "Scher" meaning shearer or wool-clipper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Sehrt. 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 Sehrt 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 Sehrt 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 Sehrt, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.2%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sehrt
The surname SEHRT is of German origin, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from an occupational surname, referring to individuals who were involved in the production or trade of sails or sail cloth.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the SEHRT name can be found in the Bürgeraufnahmebücher of the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, a historical record of citizen admissions from the 14th and 15th centuries. In these records, a certain Cūnrat Seylert is mentioned, which is likely an early variation of the SEHRT spelling.
The name SEHRT is also found in various other historical documents from the regions of southern Germany and neighboring areas, such as church records, tax registers, and guild records from the 16th and 17th centuries. These records often include variations in spelling, such as Seyler, Seyler, and Seyler, reflecting the fluidity of surname spellings during that time.
One notable bearer of the SEHRT name was Johann Georg Sehrt (1698-1768), a German jurist and legal scholar from Saxony. He served as a professor of law at the University of Leipzig and authored several influential works on jurisprudence.
Another historical figure with the SEHRT surname was Friedrich August Sehrt (1792-1864), a German landscape painter and etcher from Dresden. His works, depicting picturesque rural scenes, were highly regarded during his lifetime and can be found in various museums and collections.
In the 19th century, the name SEHRT is associated with the family of Carl Ludwig Sehrt (1818-1895), a prominent businessman and industrialist from Berlin. His son, Gustav Sehrt (1848-1914), continued the family's legacy and became a successful entrepreneur in the textile industry.
Another notable bearer of the SEHRT name was Franz Sehrt (1903-1983), a German athlete and Olympic medalist. He competed in the javelin throw event and won a silver medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam.
While the surname SEHRT may not be among the most common in modern times, its historical roots and associations with various professions and notable figures contribute to its rich cultural heritage and significance within the German-speaking regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sehrt
Among Census respondents with the surname Sehrt, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.2%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Sehrt 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 Sehrt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 104
- Two or more races9.2% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sehrt
Sehrt 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
-5 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,311 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 13,311 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 59 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 Sehrt 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 | #142,049 | 0.0% |
| Count | 117 | 120 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sehrt bearers went from 117 to 120 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #142,049.
FAQ
Sehrt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sehrt?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Sehrt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Sehrt?
Sehrt 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 Sehrt. 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 Sehrt.
Has Sehrt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sehrt went from 117 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 3 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #142,108 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Sehrt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sehrt, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.2%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Sehrt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sehrt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Two or More Races (9.2%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Sehrt (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 Sehrt mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German word "Scher" meaning shearer or wool-clipper. 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 Sehrt (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 Sehrt?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.