2000
#11,003
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,651
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Sieber
A German occupational surname referring to a sieve maker or a person who operates a sifting device.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,728 Americans carry the last name Sieber. That puts it at #12,454 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,643 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sieber 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
2.7K
1 in 125,643
Census rank
#12,454
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,379 bearers of the surname Sieber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12454th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sieber, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sieber
The surname Sieber originated in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "sieben," which means "seven," suggesting a potential connection to a family or individual with ties to the number seven or a location associated with it.
One of the earliest known references to the Sieber name can be found in the medieval records of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Sieber was mentioned as a prominent merchant in the year 1382. This historical document provides valuable insight into the name's prominence during that era.
In the 16th century, the Sieber surname gained further recognition with the life and works of Johann Sieber, a renowned Lutheran theologian and scholar born in Saxony in 1515. His influential writings and teachings left a lasting impact on the Protestant Reformation movement.
As the Sieber family dispersed across various regions of Germany over the centuries, the name underwent slight variations in spelling, including Siber, Syber, and Siebert. These variations often reflected local dialects and regional influences.
During the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the Sieber surname was Johann Sieber, a celebrated artist and engraver born in Nuremberg in 1614. His intricate etchings and engravings adorned many publications and works of art, cementing his place in the annals of German art history.
Another prominent individual with the Sieber surname was Friedrich Sieber, a renowned botanist and explorer who lived from 1782 to 1859. His extensive travels and botanical expeditions throughout Europe and the Mediterranean region contributed significantly to the study of plant life and natural history.
As time progressed, the Sieber name continued to spread across various parts of Europe, with families bearing this surname establishing themselves in countries such as Austria, Switzerland, and even parts of Eastern Europe. While the exact origin and meaning of the name may be subject to debate, its rich history and cultural significance remain etched in the annals of German and European genealogy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sieber
Among Census respondents with the surname Sieber, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sieber 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 Sieber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 2,208
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 63
- Two or more races2.5% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 30
- Black or African American0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sieber
Sieber 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
#11,322
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,787
+136 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 319 places
2020
#12,454
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,379
-408 bearers (-14.6%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 1,132 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,003 | 2,651 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,322 | 2,787 | 0.94 | +136 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 319 places |
| 2020 | #12,454 | 2,379 | 0.80 | -408 bearers (-14.6%) | Down 1,132 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 Sieber 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 | #11,322 | #12,454 | -10.0% |
| Count | 2,787 | 2,379 | -14.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.80 | -15.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sieber bearers went from 2,787 to 2,379 (-14.6% change). The surname moved down 1,132 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,322 to #12,454.
FAQ
Sieber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sieber?
Name Census estimates that about 2,728 living Americans carry the surname Sieber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,643 residents.
How common is Sieber?
Sieber ranks #12,454 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,379 people with the surname Sieber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,728), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sieber.
Has Sieber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sieber went from 2,787 recorded bearers to 2,379. That is a decrease of 408 (-14.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,322 to #12,454.
What does the Census say about the background of Sieber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sieber, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (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 Sieber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (2,208 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sieber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (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 Sieber (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 Sieber mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a sieve maker or a person who operates a sifting device. 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 Sieber (0.80 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 Sieber?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.