2000
#1,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,725
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.05
Uncommon Last name
Siegel
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a maker of wax seals or signet rings.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,865 Americans carry the last name Siegel. That puts it at #1,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,990 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Siegel 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Siegel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
23K
1 in 14,990
Census rank
#1,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,939 bearers of the surname Siegel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Siegel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Siegel
The surname Siegel is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "sigel," meaning "seal" or "signet ring." It likely originated as an occupational name for a seal maker or an engraver of seals and signet rings.
The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with early records showing variations such as Sigel, Sigill, and Sigler. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from Brandenburg, Germany, dating back to 1258, where a person named Conradus Sigel is mentioned.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various city records and tax rolls across German-speaking regions, including the Reichskammergericht (Imperial Chamber Court) records from the 1400s, which mention individuals with the surname Siegel.
Notable historical figures bearing the surname Siegel include Johann Siegel (1500-1572), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg, and Johann Georg Siegel (1668-1752), a German Lutheran theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Jena.
Another prominent individual was Christian Siegelmair (1703-1768), a German architect and sculptor who designed several churches and buildings in Bavaria, including the Fürstenfeld Abbey Church in Munich.
In the 18th century, the name appeared in various records from the Palatinate region of Germany, with individuals such as Johann Georg Siegel (1738-1808), a Lutheran pastor and author of several religious works.
The name also spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands, where Pieter Siegel (1617-1687) was a notable Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life paintings and portraits.
As the name spread across different regions, it underwent various spelling variations, including Segel, Sigel, Siegle, and Siegler, reflecting local dialects and linguistic influences.
Overall, the surname Siegel has a rich history dating back to medieval Germany, originating as an occupational name associated with seal makers and engravers, and has since been borne by notable individuals in various fields, including art, religion, and architecture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Siegel
Among Census respondents with the surname Siegel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Siegel 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 Siegel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 18,558
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 644
- Two or more races2.3% · 456
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 155
- Black or African American0.5% · 104
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Siegel
Siegel 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
#1,674
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,536
-189 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 7.30
Rank movement Down 160 places
2020
#1,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,939
-1,597 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 6.67
Rank movement Down 83 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,514 | 21,725 | 8.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,674 | 21,536 | 7.30 | -189 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 160 places |
| 2020 | #1,757 | 19,939 | 6.67 | -1,597 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 83 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 Siegel 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 | #1,674 | #1,757 | -5.0% |
| Count | 21,536 | 19,939 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 7.30 | 6.67 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Siegel bearers went from 21,536 to 19,939 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 83 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,674 to #1,757.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Siegel
FAQ
Siegel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Siegel?
Name Census estimates that about 22,865 living Americans carry the surname Siegel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,990 residents.
How common is Siegel?
Siegel ranks #1,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,939 people with the surname Siegel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,865), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Siegel.
Has Siegel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Siegel went from 21,536 recorded bearers to 19,939. That is a decrease of 1,597 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,674 to #1,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Siegel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Siegel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Siegel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (18,558 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Siegel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Siegel (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 Siegel mean?
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a maker of wax seals or signet rings. 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 Siegel (6.67 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 last name Siegel?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Siegel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.