2000
#14,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,911
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Siefert
A German occupational surname referring to a soapmaker or producer of soap.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,082 Americans carry the last name Siefert. That puts it at #15,519 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 164,627 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Siefert 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
2.1K
1 in 164,627
Census rank
#15,519
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,816 bearers of the surname Siefert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15519th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Siefert, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Siefert
The surname SIEFERT is of German origin, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the old German word "Siefer," which means "sieve-maker" or "sieve-seller." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely craftsmen or merchants involved in the production or trade of sieves.
The name is believed to have originated in the regions of central and southern Germany, particularly in areas like Bavaria and Saxony, where the metal and woodworking industries flourished during the medieval period. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents from these regions, such as tax records and town registers from the 13th and 14th centuries.
One of the earliest known references to the name SIEFERT can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, which mentions a "Henricus Siefer" in the year 1287. Another notable mention is in the Bavarian town records of Landshut, where a "Konrad Siefert" is recorded as a resident in 1432.
As the name spread across Germany and beyond, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Siefert, Siefert, Siefferth, and Sievert. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local scribes' interpretations of the name.
Notable individuals with the surname SIEFERT throughout history include:
1. Johann Siefert (1543-1618), a German composer and organist active in the late Renaissance period.
2. Friedrich Siefert (1737-1805), a German philosopher and author known for his work on ethics and moral philosophy.
3. Gustav Siefert (1822-1898), a German engineer and industrialist who contributed significantly to the development of early steam engine technology.
4. Helene Siefert (1864-1942), a German painter and sculptor known for her portraits and genre scenes.
5. Karl Siefert (1901-1978), a German military officer who served in both World War I and World War II, earning the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his bravery.
While the surname SIEFERT may have evolved and spread across different regions and cultures over time, its roots can be traced back to the skilled craftsmen and tradespeople of medieval Germany, who played a crucial role in shaping the country's industrial and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Siefert
Among Census respondents with the surname Siefert, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Siefert 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 Siefert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 1,716
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 42
- Two or more races2.0% · 36
- Black or African American0.6% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Siefert
Siefert 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
#14,739
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,016
+105 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 376 places
2020
#15,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,816
-200 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 780 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,363 | 1,911 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,739 | 2,016 | 0.68 | +105 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 376 places |
| 2020 | #15,519 | 1,816 | 0.61 | -200 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 780 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 Siefert 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 | #14,739 | #15,519 | -5.3% |
| Count | 2,016 | 1,816 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.61 | -10.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Siefert bearers went from 2,016 to 1,816 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 780 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,739 to #15,519.
FAQ
Siefert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Siefert?
Name Census estimates that about 2,082 living Americans carry the surname Siefert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 164,627 residents.
How common is Siefert?
Siefert ranks #15,519 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,816 people with the surname Siefert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,082), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Siefert.
Has Siefert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Siefert went from 2,016 recorded bearers to 1,816. That is a decrease of 200 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,739 to #15,519.
What does the Census say about the background of Siefert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Siefert, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Siefert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (1,716 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Siefert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Hispanic (2.3%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Siefert (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 Siefert mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a soapmaker or producer of soap. 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 Siefert (0.61 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 share the surname Siefert?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.