Find out how popular the last name Selman is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Selman.

Selman, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Selman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Selman in America

Selman is the 7831st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Selman surname appeared 4,228 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Selman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Selman to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Selman

The surname Selman is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English personal name Seleman, which is a combination of the elements "sele" meaning "hall" or "dwelling" and "man" meaning "man."

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Selman surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Salman" and "Selman." This suggests that the name was already established in certain regions of England by the time of the Norman Conquest.

In the 13th century, the Selman surname is recorded in various medieval records, including the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Selman" in counties such as Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. This indicates that the name was prevalent in these areas during that time period.

The Selman surname is also closely associated with various place names in England, such as Selmeston in Sussex and Selmire in Northumberland. These place names likely derived from the same Old English roots as the surname, further solidifying its connection to the region.

One notable individual with the Selman surname was Sir Ralph Selman (c. 1350-1418), a prominent English knight and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire in the early 15th century.

Another significant figure was Thomas Selman (c. 1555-1623), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Cambridge from 1609 until his death.

In the 17th century, John Selman (1633-1688) was a renowned English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of calculus and the study of planetary motion.

During the 18th century, Elizabeth Selman (1707-1768) was a notable English author and poet, known for her works that explored themes of nature and spirituality.

In the 19th century, William Selman (1825-1901) was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Albert Hall and the Natural History Museum.

These examples demonstrate the longevity and historical significance of the Selman surname, which has been present in England for centuries and has been associated with various notable individuals throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Selman

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Selman.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Selman was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Selman has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Selman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Selman, please contact us.

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