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

Seiler, 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 Seiler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Seiler in America

Seiler is the 4344th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Seiler surname appeared 8,170 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Seiler.

We can also compare 2010 data for Seiler 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 Seiler

The surname SEILER originated in Germany and Switzerland, deriving from the German word "Seiler" which means "rope maker" or "cable maker". It was an occupational surname given to those who made ropes, cables, or cords for a living. The earliest known instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany and Switzerland.

The name SEILER appears in several historical documents and records from medieval times. For instance, it is mentioned in the "Codex Diplomaticus" of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, dated 1278, which refers to a certain "Henricus Seiler" as a resident of the town of Hildesheim.

In Switzerland, the name SEILER is particularly prevalent in the canton of Bern, where it can be found in records dating back to the 14th century. One notable example is the "Ratsmanuale" (Council Manuals) of the city of Bern from the year 1392, which lists a "Peter Seiler" as a member of the city council.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname SEILER was Hans Seiler, a German painter and engraver who lived from around 1460 to 1510. He is known for his works depicting religious scenes and portraits of notable figures of his time.

Another notable bearer of the name was Georg Seiler (1633-1708), a German Baroque composer and organist who served as the court musician for the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg.

In the 19th century, Johann Seiler (1767-1835) was a prominent German theologian and philosopher who wrote extensively on moral philosophy and the philosophy of religion.

The SEILER surname has also been carried by notable figures in the field of science and engineering. One such example is Eduard Seiler (1842-1929), a German engineer and entrepreneur who founded the Seiler Machine Works in Cannstatt, a company that specialized in the production of printing presses and machinery.

Throughout its history, the surname SEILER has been associated with various professions and occupations, reflecting its origins as an occupational surname related to rope and cable making. While the name is predominantly found in Germany and Switzerland, it has also spread to other parts of Europe and the world through migration and diaspora.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Seiler

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

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 Seiler 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 Seiler 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 Seiler was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!