2000
#13,052
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,152
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Seiber
A German occupational surname referring to a sieve or strainer maker, or a maker of bolting cloth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,443 Americans carry the last name Seiber. That puts it at #13,619 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,301 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seiber 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
2.4K
1 in 140,301
Census rank
#13,619
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,130 bearers of the surname Seiber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13619th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seiber, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seiber
The surname Seiber has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the 14th century in the region of Bavaria. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Seiber," which means "strainer" or "sieve." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked as a sieve maker or a person involved in the production or use of sieves.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Seiber can be found in the Bavarian town records of Nuremberg, dated around 1380. In these records, a certain Hanns Seiber is mentioned as a resident of the town. The name also appears in various other historical documents from the same period, including tax records and guild registers.
By the 16th century, the Seiber name had spread beyond Bavaria and could be found in other parts of Germany, as well as neighboring regions such as Austria and Switzerland. In 1592, a record shows a Christoph Seiber residing in the city of Augsburg, where he worked as a master craftsman in the guild of sieve makers.
One notable historical figure bearing the Seiber surname was Johannes Seiber (1905-1960), an Austrian-born composer and music educator who lived and worked in England for much of his life. He is particularly renowned for his contributions to the field of serialism and his innovative approach to music education.
Another individual of note was Karl Seiber (1890-1935), a German-born artist and painter who was part of the Expressionist movement in the early 20th century. His works are held in collections across Europe and are celebrated for their bold use of color and abstract forms.
In the 18th century, the Seiber name appeared in various parish records and census documents in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. One such record from 1745 mentions a Johann Seiber, a farmer residing in the village of Sinsheim.
It is also worth mentioning that variations of the Seiber surname can be found in historical records, such as Seyber, Seybere, and Seybert. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time.
Overall, the surname Seiber has a rich history spanning several centuries, with its origins rooted in the German language and the profession of sieve making. While it may not be one of the most prominent surnames in history, the Seiber name has been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, from the arts to craftsmanship.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seiber
Among Census respondents with the surname Seiber, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Seiber 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 Seiber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 1,835
- Black or African American6.1% · 130
- Two or more races4.4% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seiber
Seiber 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
#13,536
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,241
+89 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 484 places
2020
#13,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,130
-111 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 83 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,052 | 2,152 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,536 | 2,241 | 0.76 | +89 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 484 places |
| 2020 | #13,619 | 2,130 | 0.71 | -111 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 83 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 Seiber 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 | #13,536 | #13,619 | -0.6% |
| Count | 2,241 | 2,130 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.71 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seiber bearers went from 2,241 to 2,130 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 83 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,536 to #13,619.
FAQ
Seiber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seiber?
Name Census estimates that about 2,443 living Americans carry the surname Seiber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,301 residents.
How common is Seiber?
Seiber ranks #13,619 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,130 people with the surname Seiber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,443), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Seiber.
Has Seiber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seiber went from 2,241 recorded bearers to 2,130. That is a decrease of 111 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,536 to #13,619.
What does the Census say about the background of Seiber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seiber, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Seiber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (1,835 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seiber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), Black (6.1%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Seiber (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 Seiber mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a sieve or strainer maker, or a maker of bolting cloth. 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 Seiber (0.71 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 Seiber?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.