2000
#118,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Seyle
A toponymic surname likely derived from a placename meaning "willow grove" or "meadow by the stream".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Seyle. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seyle 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Seyle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seyle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seyle
The surname "SEYLE" is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, likely in the late Middle Ages or early Renaissance period. It is thought to be derived from the Old High German word "seil," meaning "rope" or "cord." This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for someone who worked with ropes or cords, such as a rope maker or sailor.
In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared in various spellings, including "Seyl," "Seyle," and "Seyler." These variations were common in the era before standardized spelling became widespread. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the records of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, where a "Hans Seyler" is mentioned in the town's archives from the 15th century.
The name also appears in several historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries, such as the tax records of the city of Nuremberg, where a "Georg Seyle" is listed as a resident in the year 1578. Another notable individual with this surname was Johann Seyle, a German theologian and author who lived in the late 16th century and wrote several works on religious subjects.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the name "SEYLE" continued to be found throughout German-speaking regions, with some individuals bearing the name achieving notable status. For example, Friedrich Seyle was a prominent German painter and engraver who lived from 1785 to 1853 and is known for his landscape and architectural works.
Another individual of note was Carl Seyle, a German writer and journalist who was born in 1842 and published several works of fiction and non-fiction during his lifetime. In the 20th century, the name "SEYLE" also appeared in various contexts, with individuals such as the German philosopher and sociologist Hans Seyle (1907-1973) and the Austrian-American filmmaker and actor Otto Seyle (1915-2005) bearing this surname.
While the name "SEYLE" is not among the most common surnames in the German-speaking world, it has a rich history and can be traced back to its origins as an occupational surname related to the rope-making or sailing professions of the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seyle
Among Census respondents with the surname Seyle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Seyle 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 Seyle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 108
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seyle
Seyle 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-25 bearers (-18.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 30,111 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+8 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,559 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,236 | 136 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -25 bearers (-18.4%) | Down 30,111 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.2%) | Up 5,559 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 Seyle 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 | #148,347 | #142,788 | 3.7% |
| Count | 111 | 119 | 7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seyle bearers went from 111 to 119 (+7.2% change). The surname moved up 5,559 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #142,788.
FAQ
Seyle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seyle?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Seyle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Seyle?
Seyle ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Seyle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Seyle.
Has Seyle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seyle went from 111 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 8 (+7.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Seyle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seyle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Seyle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seyle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Seyle (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 Seyle mean?
A toponymic surname likely derived from a placename meaning "willow grove" or "meadow by the stream". 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 Seyle (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 Seyle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.