2000
#100,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 166
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Seles
An occupational surname derived from the Old French word "selier", meaning saddler or maker of saddles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Seles. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seles 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Seles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seles, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.0%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seles
The surname SELES is thought to have originated in Serbia, with its roots dating back to the 15th century. This surname is believed to be derived from the Serbo-Croatian word "selo," meaning "village" or "settlement." It is likely that the name was initially given to individuals who hailed from a particular village or resided in a rural area.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname SELES can be found in historical documents from the region of modern-day Serbia and Montenegro. One notable example is the mention of a certain Jovan SELES in a land registry from the year 1487, where he was recorded as a landowner in the village of Gornji Milanovac.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, as the Ottoman Empire expanded its territories, many Serbs migrated to various parts of Europe, including Croatia, Hungary, and Austria. This diaspora contributed to the spread of the surname SELES across these regions, where it underwent slight variations in spelling, such as SELEŠ or SZELESH.
In the 19th century, a notable figure bearing the surname SELES was Jovan SELES (1836-1909), a Serbian lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Justice in the Principality of Serbia during the late 1800s.
Another historical figure of note was Milica SELES (1892-1973), a Serbian writer and journalist who gained recognition for her literary works and contributions to the cultural scene of early 20th century Belgrade.
In the realm of sports, one of the most famous individuals with the surname SELES is Monica SELES (born 1973), the former world No. 1 professional tennis player from Serbia (then part of Yugoslavia). Her remarkable career, which included nine Grand Slam singles titles, brought significant attention to the name SELES on the international stage.
Across various historical records, the surname SELES has also been associated with notable individuals in fields such as academia, arts, and military service, further contributing to its legacy and recognition throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seles
Among Census respondents with the surname Seles, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.0%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Seles 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 Seles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.0% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino22.0% · 26
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seles
Seles 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
#118,853
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146
-20 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 18,190 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-28 bearers (-19.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,658 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #100,663 | 166 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #118,853 | 146 | 0.05 | -20 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 18,190 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -28 bearers (-19.2%) | Down 24,658 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 Seles 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 | #118,853 | #143,511 | -20.7% |
| Count | 146 | 118 | -19.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seles bearers went from 146 to 118 (-19.2% change). The surname moved down 24,658 positions in the national ranking, going from #118,853 to #143,511.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Seles
FAQ
Seles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seles?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Seles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Seles?
Seles ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 118 people with the surname Seles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Seles.
Has Seles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seles went from 146 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 28 (-19.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #118,853 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Seles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seles, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.0%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Seles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.0% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.0%), Hispanic (22.0%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Seles (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 Seles mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Old French word "selier", meaning saddler or maker of saddles. 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 Seles (0.04 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 Seles?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.