2000
#5,533
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,773
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.14
Rare Last name
Sellars
An occupational surname for someone who sold goods, often a merchant or trader.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,453 Americans carry the last name Sellars. That puts it at #5,906 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,116 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sellars 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sellars with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.5K
1 in 53,116
Census rank
#5,906
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,627 bearers of the surname Sellars in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5906th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sellars, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Black (16.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sellars
The surname Sellars has its origins in England, with roots that can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "sellan," which means "to sell" or "to give." This suggests that the name was originally an occupational surname given to those who worked as merchants or tradesmen.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various medieval documents, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1197, where it appears as "Sellar." It is also mentioned in the Assize Court Rolls of Northumberland in 1279, written as "Sellare."
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William Sellars, who lived in Northamptonshire in the 13th century. Records from this time period often referred to individuals by their occupation or trade, lending credence to the idea that the Sellars name was associated with commerce.
The variant spelling "Sellars" became more prevalent in the 16th and 17th centuries. During this time, the name was found in various parts of England, including Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Northumberland. Notable individuals from this era include John Sellars, a merchant from Newcastle upon Tyne, who was born in 1580.
In the 18th century, the name Sellars was also present in Scotland, where it is believed to have been adopted by families who migrated from England. One notable Scottish figure was David Sellars, a mathematician and astronomer born in Fife in 1755.
As the centuries progressed, the Sellars surname spread to other parts of the world, carried by individuals and families who emigrated from Britain. One notable American bearer of the name was Wilbur Sellars, a renowned philosopher born in Huron, Michigan in 1912. He made significant contributions to the fields of metaphysics and epistemology.
Other notable individuals with the Sellars surname include Roy Sellars (1892-1973), an American actor and director; Peter Sellars (born 1957), an American theater director and filmmaker; and Andrew Sellars (born 1978), a British classical composer and conductor.
Throughout its history, the surname Sellars has maintained its connection to the world of commerce and trade, reflecting the occupational roots from which it originated centuries ago in medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sellars
Among Census respondents with the surname Sellars, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Black (16.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sellars 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 Sellars surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.0% · 4,220
- Black or African American16.9% · 951
- Two or more races3.8% · 215
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 160
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sellars
Sellars 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
#5,576
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,232
+459 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Down 43 places
2020
#5,906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,627
-605 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 1.88
Rank movement Down 330 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,533 | 5,773 | 2.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,576 | 6,232 | 2.11 | +459 bearers (+8.0%) | Down 43 places |
| 2020 | #5,906 | 5,627 | 1.88 | -605 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 330 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 Sellars 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 | #5,576 | #5,906 | -5.9% |
| Count | 6,232 | 5,627 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.11 | 1.88 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sellars bearers went from 6,232 to 5,627 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 330 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,576 to #5,906.
FAQ
Sellars surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sellars?
Name Census estimates that about 6,453 living Americans carry the surname Sellars. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,116 residents.
How common is Sellars?
Sellars ranks #5,906 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,627 people with the surname Sellars. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,453), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Sellars.
Has Sellars become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sellars went from 6,232 recorded bearers to 5,627. That is a decrease of 605 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,576 to #5,906.
What does the Census say about the background of Sellars?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sellars, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Black (16.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Sellars in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.0% (4,220 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sellars appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.0%), Black (16.9%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Sellars (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 Sellars mean?
An occupational surname for someone who sold goods, often a merchant or trader. 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 Sellars (1.88 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 Sellars?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.