Seyl last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Seyl

An Anglicized spelling of the German surname Seil referring to a rope-maker or cord-maker.

Seyl, 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 Seyl surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Seyl in America

Seyl is the 145220th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Seyl surname appeared 114 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Seyl.

We can also compare 2010 data for Seyl 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 145220 111740 26.06%
Count 114 146 -24.62%
Proportion per 100k 0.04 0.05 -22.22%

The history of the last name Seyl

The surname "SEYL" is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "seil," which means "rope" or "cord." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with occupations or trades involving ropes, such as rope makers or sailors.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "SEYL" can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, dated around the 13th century. Here, the name appears as "Seyler," likely referring to a person engaged in rope-making or a related craft.

In the 15th century, historical records from the city of Nuremberg mention a prominent citizen named Hans Seyl (c. 1420-1490), who served as a respected merchant and member of the city council. This indicates that by this time, the name had become established among the urban population.

Another notable figure bearing the "SEYL" surname was Johann Seyl (1594-1667), a German theologian and academic who served as a professor at the University of Strasbourg. His scholarly works on theology and philosophy were widely circulated during the 17th century.

During the 18th century, the name "SEYL" appeared in various records from the Rhineland region of Germany. One such example is Johann Friedrich Seyl (1727-1802), a renowned clockmaker from the city of Cologne, whose intricate timepieces were highly sought after by wealthy patrons.

In the 19th century, the "SEYL" surname was also found in parts of Switzerland, likely due to migration from neighboring German regions. One notable Swiss bearer of the name was Emil Seyl (1852-1928), a successful businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of educational institutions in his hometown of Zurich.

Throughout its history, the surname "SEYL" has maintained a strong presence in German-speaking regions, with various spellings and variations such as "Seil," "Seiler," and "Seyler" emerging over time. While not exceptionally widespread, it remains a recognizable surname with deep roots in the cultural and occupational traditions of Central Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Seyl

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

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 Seyl was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 91.23% 104
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 7.02% 8

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 Seyl has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 91.23% 92.47% -1.35%
Black 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 7.02% 6.85% 2.45%

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 Seyl was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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"Seyl last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on May 2, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/seyl-surname-popularity/.

"Seyl last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/seyl-surname-popularity/. Accessed 2 May, 2025

Seyl last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/seyl-surname-popularity/.

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