2000
#13,685
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,033
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Selig
Derived from the German word "selig," meaning "blessed" or "holy," often referring to a pious or saintly person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,137 Americans carry the last name Selig. That puts it at #15,179 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 160,390 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Selig 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 160,390
Census rank
#15,179
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,864 bearers of the surname Selig in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15179th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Selig, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Selig
The surname Selig has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the late medieval period in the 14th and 15th centuries. The name is derived from the German word "selig," which translates to "blessed" or "blissful." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon individuals who were perceived as virtuous or pious.
Early references to the Selig name can be found in various historical documents, including church records and municipal archives from regions such as Bavaria and Saxony. One notable example is the mention of a Konrad Selig in the Nuremberg city records from the year 1397.
The Selig surname is also associated with certain place names, particularly in areas where German communities were established. For instance, the town of Seligstadt in Thuringia, Germany, may have influenced the development of the name in that region.
Among the earliest recorded individuals bearing the Selig surname is Johannes Selig, a scholar and theologian born in Saxony around 1460. He was renowned for his contributions to the study of biblical exegesis and his role in the early Protestant Reformation.
Another notable figure was Christoph Selig, a prominent Lutheran minister and writer who lived in the late 16th century. He authored several works on theology and religious doctrine, leaving a lasting impact on the intellectual and spiritual landscape of his time.
In the artistic realm, the Selig name is associated with Johann Selig, a German painter and engraver born in Nuremberg in 1675. His works, primarily depicting religious scenes and portraits, were highly regarded during the Baroque period.
Transitioning to the 19th century, one cannot overlook the contributions of Hermann Selig, a pioneering German chemist and industrialist born in 1825. He played a crucial role in the development of synthetic dyes and the establishment of the modern chemical industry.
Another influential figure was Gottfried Selig, a German-American scholar and linguist born in 1865. He made significant contributions to the study of Germanic languages and authored several influential texts on language and linguistics.
Throughout its history, the Selig surname has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, reflecting the rich tapestry of German culture and heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Selig
Among Census respondents with the surname Selig, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Selig 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 Selig surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 1,727
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 66
- Two or more races2.5% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- Black or African American0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Selig
Selig 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
#14,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,020
-13 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 1,027 places
2020
#15,179
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,864
-156 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 467 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,685 | 2,033 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,712 | 2,020 | 0.68 | -13 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 1,027 places |
| 2020 | #15,179 | 1,864 | 0.62 | -156 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 467 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 Selig 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 | #14,712 | #15,179 | -3.2% |
| Count | 2,020 | 1,864 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.62 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Selig bearers went from 2,020 to 1,864 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 467 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,712 to #15,179.
FAQ
Selig surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Selig?
Name Census estimates that about 2,137 living Americans carry the surname Selig. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 160,390 residents.
How common is Selig?
Selig ranks #15,179 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,864 people with the surname Selig. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,137), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Selig.
Has Selig become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Selig went from 2,020 recorded bearers to 1,864. That is a decrease of 156 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,712 to #15,179.
What does the Census say about the background of Selig?
Among Census respondents with the surname Selig, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Selig in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (1,727 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Selig appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Selig (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 Selig mean?
Derived from the German word "selig," meaning "blessed" or "holy," often referring to a pious or saintly person. 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 Selig (0.62 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 Selig?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.