2000
#58,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 321
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Seidelman
An Ashkenazic Jewish surname derived from German 'Seidel', meaning a small jug or vessel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 337 Americans carry the last name Seidelman. That puts it at #71,480 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,017,075 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seidelman 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
337
1 in 1,017,075
Census rank
#71,480
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
294
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 294 bearers of the surname Seidelman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 71480th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seidelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seidelman
The surname SEIDELMAN is of German origin, derived from the combination of the German words "Seidel" meaning a small jug or mug, and "Mann" meaning man. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to an occupation, perhaps a maker or seller of small jugs or mugs.
The earliest known records of this surname date back to the 16th century in various regions of Germany. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in the town of Lübeck, where a Michael Seidelman was mentioned in a church record from 1572.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in several other German cities and towns, including Nuremberg, where a Johann Seidelman was listed in a tax register in 1627. The variant spelling "Seidellmann" was also found in some records from this period.
As the name spread across Germany, it became associated with various places. For example, the town of Seidenberg in Saxony may have been named after a person with the surname Seidelman who lived there or owned land in the area.
One of the earliest recorded Seidelmans to gain prominence was Hans Seidelman (1588-1648), a German painter and engraver known for his portraits and religious works. Another notable figure was Johann Georg Seidelman (1688-1768), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth.
In the 19th century, the name began to appear in other parts of Europe as people migrated. For instance, a family of Seidelmans settled in the Netherlands, where they became successful merchants and traders.
Other notable individuals with the Seidelman surname include:
- Friedrich Seidelman (1810-1878), a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives.
- Karl Seidelman (1838-1901), a German-American architect who designed several prominent buildings in Cincinnati, Ohio.
- Erika Seidelman (1900-1974), an Austrian-born British writer and translator known for her work on German literature.
- Lily Seidelman (1891-1979), a Russian-born American artist and educator who taught at the Art Students League of New York.
- Walter Seidelman (1911-1992), an American film director and producer best known for his work in television.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seidelman
Among Census respondents with the surname Seidelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Seidelman 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 Seidelman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.6% · 281
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2
- Two or more races0.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seidelman
Seidelman 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
#58,337
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 348
+27 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 662 places
2020
#71,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 294
-54 bearers (-15.5%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 13,143 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #58,999 | 321 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #58,337 | 348 | 0.12 | +27 bearers (+8.4%) | Up 662 places |
| 2020 | #71,480 | 294 | 0.10 | -54 bearers (-15.5%) | Down 13,143 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 Seidelman 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 | #58,337 | #71,480 | -22.5% |
| Count | 348 | 294 | -15.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.10 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seidelman bearers went from 348 to 294 (-15.5% change). The surname moved down 13,143 positions in the national ranking, going from #58,337 to #71,480.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Seidelman
FAQ
Seidelman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seidelman?
Name Census estimates that about 337 living Americans carry the surname Seidelman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,017,075 residents.
How common is Seidelman?
Seidelman ranks #71,480 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 294 people with the surname Seidelman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (337), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Seidelman.
Has Seidelman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seidelman went from 348 recorded bearers to 294. That is a decrease of 54 (-15.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #58,337 to #71,480.
What does the Census say about the background of Seidelman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seidelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%). 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 Seidelman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (281 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seidelman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.6%), Hispanic (2.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%). 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 Seidelman (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 Seidelman mean?
An Ashkenazic Jewish surname derived from German 'Seidel', meaning a small jug or vessel. 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 Seidelman (0.10 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 Seidelman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.