2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sembler
A surname derived from the Old French word "sembler," meaning "to seem" or "to appear."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Sembler. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sembler 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Sembler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sembler, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sembler
The surname SEMBLER is believed to have originated in France during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "sembler," which means "to seem" or "to appear." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname given to someone who worked as an actor, performer, or someone who portrayed different characters.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SEMBLER can be found in the Livre des Métiers, a medieval document from Paris that lists various trades and professions. In this text, dated around the 13th century, there is a reference to a "Jehan le Sembler," who is described as a mime or actor.
The name SEMBLER also appears in several historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries in various regions of France, such as Normandy and Brittany. For example, in 1407, a man named Gilles SEMBLER is mentioned in a land registry from the town of Rouen.
Interestingly, the name SEMBLER has also been associated with certain place names in France. For instance, there is a village called Semblançay in the Loire Valley, which may have given rise to the surname SEMBLER for families who originated from that area.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname SEMBLER. One of the earliest recorded was Jean SEMBLER (c. 1360-1425), a French playwright and poet who was known for his religious dramas and morality plays. Another notable figure was Étienne SEMBLER (1508-1592), a French Protestant reformer and theologian who played a significant role in the French Reformation.
Other notable SEMBLERS include:
1. Nicolas SEMBLER (1587-1645), a French composer and music theorist known for his treatise on counterpoint.
2. Marie-Antoinette SEMBLER (1722-1798), a French actress and stage performer who was active in Parisian theaters during the 18th century.
3. Jacques SEMBLER (1793-1867), a French military officer who served under Napoleon and was later appointed as a general during the July Monarchy.
4. Émile SEMBLER (1828-1901), a French politician and lawyer who served as a deputy in the National Assembly during the Third Republic.
5. Léonie SEMBLER (1876-1958), a French artist and sculptor known for her avant-garde works and association with the Cubist movement.
While the surname SEMBLER is not among the most common in France today, its historical roots and associations with the performing arts, literature, and various professions make it a fascinating name to explore in terms of its origins and evolution over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sembler
Among Census respondents with the surname Sembler, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sembler 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 Sembler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 109
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sembler
Sembler 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,685 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-10 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,361 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 8,685 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 10,361 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 Sembler 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 | #138,304 | #148,665 | -7.5% |
| Count | 121 | 111 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sembler bearers went from 121 to 111 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 10,361 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #148,665.
FAQ
Sembler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sembler?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Sembler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Sembler?
Sembler ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Sembler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Sembler.
Has Sembler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sembler went from 121 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Sembler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sembler, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Sembler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sembler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Sembler (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 Sembler mean?
A surname derived from the Old French word "sembler," meaning "to seem" or "to appear." 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 Sembler (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 people have the surname Sembler?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.