2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Seyfer
An Anglicized variant of the German surname Seiffer referring to someone who produced or sold sieves.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Seyfer. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seyfer 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Seyfer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seyfer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seyfer
The surname Seyfer is believed to have originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "seife," which means "soap," suggesting that early bearers of this name may have been involved in the soap-making trade or lived near a location associated with soap production.
One of the earliest known references to the Seyfer surname can be found in the church records of the town of Erlangen, Bavaria, where a certain Hans Seyfer was recorded as a resident in 1573. Another early mention of the name appears in the tax records of the city of Nuremberg, where a Johann Seyfer is listed as a taxpayer in the year 1602.
Over the centuries, the Seyfer surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Seyffer, Seiffer, and Seifer, reflecting regional dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping. Some of these variations may also indicate connections to specific geographic locations or local place names.
Notable individuals who have borne the Seyfer surname throughout history include:
1. Johann Seyfer (1573-1641), a German goldsmith and engraver known for his intricate work on religious artifacts and jewelry.
2. Anna Maria Seyfer (1676-1748), a German herbalist and midwife who authored a popular book on traditional remedies and childbirth practices.
3. Friedrich Seyfer (1801-1879), a German poet and playwright whose works celebrated the beauty of the Bavarian countryside and explored themes of love and loss.
4. Wilhelm Seyfer (1835-1901), a German architect who designed several prominent buildings in the city of Munich, including the Alte Pinakothek art museum.
5. Elise Seyfer (1890-1976), a German-American artist known for her vibrant landscape paintings and portraits, many of which depicted scenes from her adopted home of California.
While the Seyfer surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora, with families bearing this name now found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seyfer
Among Census respondents with the surname Seyfer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Seyfer 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 Seyfer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seyfer
Seyfer 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-4 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,151 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,702 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 14,151 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Up 4,702 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 Seyfer 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 | #154,907 | #150,205 | 3.0% |
| Count | 105 | 109 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seyfer bearers went from 105 to 109 (+3.8% change). The surname moved up 4,702 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #150,205.
FAQ
Seyfer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seyfer?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Seyfer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Seyfer?
Seyfer ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Seyfer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Seyfer.
Has Seyfer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seyfer went from 105 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 4 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Seyfer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seyfer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and 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 Seyfer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seyfer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (1.8%), 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 Seyfer (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 Seyfer mean?
An Anglicized variant of the German surname Seiffer referring to someone who produced or sold sieves. 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 Seyfer (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 Seyfer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.