2000
#114,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Seims
A variant of the German surname Seim, possibly referring to a location associated with a river or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Seims. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seims 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Seims in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seims, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seims
The surname SEIMS has its origins in England, with records dating back to the late 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "seam," which referred to a measure of grain or a pack-load. This suggests that the name may have originally been associated with occupations related to agriculture or trading.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Seames." This entry refers to a landholder in the county of Berkshire. Other early variations of the spelling include "Seme," "Seem," and "Seyme."
By the 13th century, the name had spread to various parts of England, as evidenced by records in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which document individuals with the surname in counties such as Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. During this period, the name was often associated with place names, such as Seamer in Yorkshire and Seaming in Norfolk.
Notable individuals with the surname SEIMS throughout history include:
1. Robert Seims (c. 1320-1389), a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Bristol during the 14th century.
2. Alice Seims (c. 1450-1521), an English noblewoman and landowner who inherited substantial estates in Wiltshire and Somerset.
3. William Seims (c. 1560-1635), a scholar and author who wrote several treatises on theology and philosophy during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras.
4. John Seims (1622-1701), a renowned architect and surveyor who designed several churches and public buildings in London in the latter half of the 17th century.
5. Mary Seims (1718-1798), a celebrated writer and poet whose works were widely published in literary journals of the 18th century.
Throughout the centuries, the SEIMS surname has retained its strong presence in various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Gloucestershire, where many families bearing this name have lived and prospered.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seims
Among Census respondents with the surname Seims, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Seims 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 Seims surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.8% · 84
- Two or more races13.5% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seims
Seims 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
#120,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 144
+2 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 6,021 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-40 bearers (-27.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 33,403 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,166 | 142 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #120,187 | 144 | 0.05 | +2 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 6,021 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -40 bearers (-27.8%) | Down 33,403 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 Seims 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 | #120,187 | #153,590 | -27.8% |
| Count | 144 | 104 | -27.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.03 | -30.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seims bearers went from 144 to 104 (-27.8% change). The surname moved down 33,403 positions in the national ranking, going from #120,187 to #153,590.
FAQ
Seims surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seims?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Seims. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Seims?
Seims ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Seims. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Seims.
Has Seims become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seims went from 144 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 40 (-27.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #120,187 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Seims?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seims, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Seims in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.8% (84 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seims appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.8%), Two or More Races (13.5%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Seims (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 Seims mean?
A variant of the German surname Seim, possibly referring to a location associated with a river or stream. 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 Seims (0.03 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 people have the last name Seims?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Seims on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.