2000
#15,135
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,788
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Seiter
Derived from the Middle High German word "seitaere," referring to a rope maker or cord maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,103 Americans carry the last name Seiter. That puts it at #15,395 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,984 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seiter 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
2.1K
1 in 162,984
Census rank
#15,395
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,834 bearers of the surname Seiter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15395th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seiter, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seiter
The surname SEITER has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Seiter," which means "one who makes rope or cord." This indicates that the name likely originated from an occupation or trade involving the production of ropes or cords.
The earliest recorded instances of the SEITER surname can be traced back to the 14th century. One notable mention is in the Nuremberg tax records of 1387, where a Hans Seiter is listed as a resident. This suggests that the name was already established in the region at that time.
During the 15th century, the SEITER name appeared in various historical documents across German-speaking regions. For example, in 1452, a Johannes Seiter was recorded as living in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, located in Bavaria.
As the centuries passed, the SEITER name spread to other parts of Europe, particularly through migration and trade. In the 16th century, a prominent figure bearing this surname was Christoph Seiter (1528-1594), a German Protestant theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
Another notable bearer of the SEITER name was Johann Seiter (1630-1705), a German composer and organist who lived in Nuremberg. His works contributed to the rich musical tradition of the Baroque era.
In the 18th century, the SEITER surname can be found in various place names across Germany, such as Seiterdorf (a village in Bavaria) and Seitersbrunnen (a spring in Saxony). These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the SEITER surname who settled in those areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SEITER name in the United States dates back to the late 18th century, when Johann Georg Seiter (1753-1831) emigrated from Germany and settled in Pennsylvania. He became a prominent figure in the German-American community and played a role in the establishment of the German Lutheran Church in America.
As the centuries progressed, the SEITER surname continued to be represented across various fields, including academia, arts, and politics. Noteworthy individuals include Friedrich Seiter (1801-1877), a German philosopher and educator, and Max Seiter (1857-1938), a German architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in Berlin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seiter
Among Census respondents with the surname Seiter, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Seiter 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 Seiter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 1,741
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 38
- Two or more races1.8% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seiter
Seiter 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
#14,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,986
+198 bearers (+11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 233 places
2020
#15,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,834
-152 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 493 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,135 | 1,788 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,902 | 1,986 | 0.67 | +198 bearers (+11.1%) | Up 233 places |
| 2020 | #15,395 | 1,834 | 0.61 | -152 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 493 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 Seiter 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 | #14,902 | #15,395 | -3.3% |
| Count | 1,986 | 1,834 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.61 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seiter bearers went from 1,986 to 1,834 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 493 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,902 to #15,395.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Seiter
FAQ
Seiter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seiter?
Name Census estimates that about 2,103 living Americans carry the surname Seiter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,984 residents.
How common is Seiter?
Seiter ranks #15,395 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,834 people with the surname Seiter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,103), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Seiter.
Has Seiter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seiter went from 1,986 recorded bearers to 1,834. That is a decrease of 152 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,902 to #15,395.
What does the Census say about the background of Seiter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seiter, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Seiter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (1,741 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seiter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Hispanic (2.1%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Seiter (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 Seiter mean?
Derived from the Middle High German word "seitaere," referring to a rope maker or cord maker. 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 Seiter (0.61 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 Seiter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.