2000
#70,906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 257
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Seidenfeld
A surname suggesting origins in a place with fields or meadows of silk or linen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 425 Americans carry the last name Seidenfeld. That puts it at #58,949 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 806,481 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seidenfeld 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
425
1 in 806,481
Census rank
#58,949
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
371
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 371 bearers of the surname Seidenfeld in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 58949th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seidenfeld, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%) and Hispanic (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seidenfeld
The surname Seidenfeld is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German words "seiden" meaning silk, and "feld" meaning field or open land. The name likely referred to an area where silkworms were cultivated or silk was traded.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Seidenfeld date back to the 13th century in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and Austria. The name was often spelled differently in old manuscripts, such as Seydenfeld, Seydenfeldt, or Seidenfelde.
In the 14th century, a merchant named Hans Seidenfeld was documented in the records of the city of Nuremberg, a prominent hub for the silk trade at the time. This suggests that the Seidenfeld family may have been involved in the lucrative silk business.
The Seidenfeld name was also found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, Germany, dating back to the 15th century. This indicates that the name had spread to other parts of the country by that time.
One notable figure with the Seidenfeld surname was Johann Seidenfeld, a German philosopher and professor who lived from 1623 to 1687. He taught at the University of Jena and wrote several works on logic and metaphysics.
Another prominent individual was Karl Seidenfeld, a 19th-century German architect born in 1829. He designed several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Reichspost building and the Charlottenburg Palace.
In the world of literature, the Austrian writer and poet Theodor Seidenfeld (1855-1921) gained recognition for his lyrical works and contributions to the Young Vienna literary movement.
The Seidenfeld name also appeared in the United States, with one of the earliest recorded instances being Christian Seidenfeld, who immigrated from Germany in the late 18th century and settled in Pennsylvania.
Lastly, a notable figure from the 20th century was Erwin Seidenfeld (1906-1992), a German-American physicist and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of radar technology during World War II.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seidenfeld
Among Census respondents with the surname Seidenfeld, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%) and Hispanic (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Seidenfeld 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 Seidenfeld surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 357
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 4
- Two or more races0.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seidenfeld
Seidenfeld 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
#60,196
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 335
+78 bearers (+30.4%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 10,710 places
2020
#58,949
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 371
+36 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 1,247 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #70,906 | 257 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #60,196 | 335 | 0.11 | +78 bearers (+30.4%) | Up 10,710 places |
| 2020 | #58,949 | 371 | 0.12 | +36 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 1,247 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 Seidenfeld 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 | #60,196 | #58,949 | 2.1% |
| Count | 335 | 371 | 10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.12 | 12.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seidenfeld bearers went from 335 to 371 (+10.7% change). The surname moved up 1,247 positions in the national ranking, going from #60,196 to #58,949.
FAQ
Seidenfeld surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seidenfeld?
Name Census estimates that about 425 living Americans carry the surname Seidenfeld. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 806,481 residents.
How common is Seidenfeld?
Seidenfeld ranks #58,949 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 371 people with the surname Seidenfeld. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (425), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Seidenfeld.
Has Seidenfeld become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seidenfeld went from 335 recorded bearers to 371. That is an increase of 36 (+10.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #60,196 to #58,949.
What does the Census say about the background of Seidenfeld?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seidenfeld, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%) and Hispanic (1.1%). 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 Seidenfeld in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (357 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seidenfeld appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%), Hispanic (1.1%). 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 Seidenfeld (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 Seidenfeld mean?
A surname suggesting origins in a place with fields or meadows of silk or linen. 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 Seidenfeld (0.12 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 common is the surname Seidenfeld?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Seidenfeld at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.