2000
#73,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 245
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Sele
A surname derived from the Old English word for "hall" or "mansion."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 364 Americans carry the last name Sele. That puts it at #67,188 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 941,633 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sele 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
364
1 in 941,633
Census rank
#67,188
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
317
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 317 bearers of the surname Sele in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 67188th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sele, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Black (17.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sele
The surname SELE originated in the region of Normandy, France during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "sele," meaning a saddle or seat. This suggests that the name may have been an occupational name for someone who made or sold saddles.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners and their holdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Sele," likely referring to a Norman landowner or tenant.
In the 12th century, a notable individual bearing this name was Roger de Sele, a knight who accompanied Richard I (Richard the Lionheart) on the Third Crusade to the Holy Land between 1189 and 1192. Roger de Sele was mentioned in contemporary chronicles for his bravery in battle.
During the 13th century, the name SELE was also present in England, as evidenced by the appearance of Walter de Sele in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1230. The Pipe Rolls were a collection of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer.
In the 14th century, the SELE surname was associated with a prominent family in the county of Sussex, England. John Sele, born around 1320, was a landowner and member of the local gentry. His descendants continued to hold lands in Sussex for several generations.
Another noteworthy individual with this surname was William Sele, an English scholar and cleric born in the late 15th century. He studied at the University of Oxford and later became a canon of the prestigious Cathedral Church of York.
Throughout history, variations of the SELE surname have included Seale, Seale, Seel, and Seal. These alternative spellings likely arose due to regional dialects and the evolution of the English language over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sele
Among Census respondents with the surname Sele, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Black (17.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sele 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 Sele surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.8% · 199
- Black or African American17.7% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.0% · 35
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 14
- Two or more races4.1% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sele
Sele 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
#74,375
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 260
+15 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 716 places
2020
#67,188
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 317
+57 bearers (+21.9%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 7,187 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #73,659 | 245 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #74,375 | 260 | 0.09 | +15 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 716 places |
| 2020 | #67,188 | 317 | 0.11 | +57 bearers (+21.9%) | Up 7,187 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 Sele 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 | #74,375 | #67,188 | 9.7% |
| Count | 260 | 317 | 21.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.11 | 17.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sele bearers went from 260 to 317 (+21.9% change). The surname moved up 7,187 positions in the national ranking, going from #74,375 to #67,188.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sele
FAQ
Sele surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sele?
Name Census estimates that about 364 living Americans carry the surname Sele. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 941,633 residents.
How common is Sele?
Sele ranks #67,188 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 317 people with the surname Sele. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (364), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Sele.
Has Sele become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sele went from 260 recorded bearers to 317. That is an increase of 57 (+21.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #74,375 to #67,188.
What does the Census say about the background of Sele?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sele, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Black (17.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.0%). 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 Sele in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.8% (199 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sele appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.8%), Black (17.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.0%). 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 Sele (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 Sele mean?
A surname derived from the Old English word for "hall" or "mansion." 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 Sele (0.11 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 Sele?
You can see how many people are called Sele on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.