Find out how popular the last name Seifert is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Seifert.

Seifert, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Seifert surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Seifert in America

Seifert is the 3408th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Seifert surname appeared 10,499 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Seifert.

We can also compare 2010 data for Seifert to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Seifert

The surname Seifert is of German origin, derived from the Old High German word "seifen," meaning "to soap" or "to lather." It was an occupational surname given to those who worked as soap makers or chandlers.

In its earliest forms, the name was spelled Seyfert or Seifert, and it first appeared in historical records in the late 12th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Heinricus Seifer, who was mentioned in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a medieval cartulary of the Corvey Abbey in Germany, around 1192.

The Seifert name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Saxony, Silesia, and Bohemia, where many soap-making guilds and workshops were established during the Middle Ages. It was also found in other parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland.

In the 14th century, a notable figure named Johannes Seifert was a prominent citizen and merchant in the city of Leipzig. He served as a member of the city council and was involved in the local trade of soap and other goods.

During the Renaissance period, the Seifert family produced several notable artists and scholars. Hans Seifert (1500-1573) was a German painter and engraver known for his religious works, while Johannes Seifert (1531-1598) was a humanist scholar and theologian who taught at the University of Leipzig.

In the 17th century, Johann Seifert (1603-1677) was a German composer and organist who worked in the court of the Elector of Saxony. His son, Johann Michael Seifert (1645-1697), followed in his footsteps and became a respected organist and composer as well.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Seifert name continued to be associated with various professions and fields, including science, literature, and politics. Carl Theodor Seifert (1805-1869) was a German mathematician and physicist, while Johann Seifert (1800-1865) was a writer and philosopher who contributed to the development of German idealism.

Other notable individuals with the Seifert surname include Herbert Seifert (1907-1996), a German mathematician known for his contributions to topology, and Herbert Seifert (1924-2018), a German politician who served as a member of the Bundestag (the German parliament) for several decades.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Seifert

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Seifert.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Seifert was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Seifert has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Seifert was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Seifert, please contact us.

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