2000
#4,214
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,794
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.89
Rare Last name
Seiler
An occupational surname referring to a ropemaker or manufacturer of ropes and cords.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,731 Americans carry the last name Seiler. That puts it at #4,531 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,257 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seiler 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
8.7K
1 in 39,257
Census rank
#4,531
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,614 bearers of the surname Seiler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4531st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seiler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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The name SEILER appears in several historical documents and records from medieval times.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seiler
Among Census respondents with the surname Seiler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Seiler 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 Seiler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 7,053
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 257
- Two or more races2.7% · 206
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 50
- Black or African American0.3% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seiler
Seiler 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
#4,344
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,170
+376 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 2.77
Rank movement Down 130 places
2020
#4,531
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,614
-556 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 2.55
Rank movement Down 187 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,214 | 7,794 | 2.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,344 | 8,170 | 2.77 | +376 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 130 places |
| 2020 | #4,531 | 7,614 | 2.55 | -556 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 187 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 Seiler 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 | #4,344 | #4,531 | -4.3% |
| Count | 8,170 | 7,614 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.77 | 2.55 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seiler bearers went from 8,170 to 7,614 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 187 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,344 to #4,531.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Seiler
FAQ
Seiler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seiler?
Name Census estimates that about 8,731 living Americans carry the surname Seiler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,257 residents.
How common is Seiler?
Seiler ranks #4,531 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,614 people with the surname Seiler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,731), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Seiler.
Has Seiler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seiler went from 8,170 recorded bearers to 7,614. That is a decrease of 556 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,344 to #4,531.
What does the Census say about the background of Seiler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seiler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Seiler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (7,053 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seiler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Seiler (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 Seiler mean?
An occupational surname referring to a ropemaker or manufacturer of ropes and cords. 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 Seiler (2.55 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 Seiler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.