2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Siegwald
An Old German surname likely derived from "sigu" meaning victory and "wald" meaning ruler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Siegwald. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Siegwald 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Siegwald in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Siegwald, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.5%) and Two or More Races (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Siegwald
The surname Siegwald is of German origin, originating in the Middle Ages between the 12th and 15th centuries. It is derived from the Old High German words "sigu" meaning victory and "walt" meaning ruler or governer, thus translating to "victorious ruler" or "victorious commander". The name was likely borne by a person of high standing or nobility in its early usage.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Siegwald can be traced back to the 13th century in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Variations in spelling included Sigwalt, Sigewalt, and Siegwaldi. The name appeared in various medieval records and manuscripts, including the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of charters and documents from Saxony dating back to the 10th century.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Siegwald was Konrad Siegwald, a prominent knight and landowner who lived in the town of Augsburg, Bavaria, in the late 13th century. Another notable figure was Hans Siegwald, a wealthy merchant and banker who resided in Nuremberg during the 15th century and played a significant role in the city's thriving trade industry.
In the 16th century, the name Siegwald was associated with a family of artists and sculptors from the town of Ulm in Baden-Württemberg. The most renowned among them was Gregor Siegwald (1525-1598), a skilled woodcarver and sculptor whose intricate works adorned many churches and buildings throughout southern Germany.
During the 17th century, a notable bearer of the name was Johann Siegwald (1615-1682), a Lutheran theologian and author from Saxony. He published several influential works on theology and served as a professor at the University of Leipzig.
Another distinguished individual with the surname Siegwald was Karl Friedrich Siegwald (1784-1848), a German historian and educator from Hesse. He wrote extensively on the history of the Holy Roman Empire and served as the principal of a prestigious school in Darmstadt.
While the surname Siegwald has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, carried by migration and immigration over the centuries. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the medieval and early modern eras of German history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Siegwald
Among Census respondents with the surname Siegwald, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.5%) and Two or More Races (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Siegwald 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 Siegwald surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.0% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino11.5% · 13
- Two or more races7.1% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Siegwald
Siegwald 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+7 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,399 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-5 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,081 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 2,399 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 6,081 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 Siegwald 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 | #141,140 | #147,221 | -4.3% |
| Count | 118 | 113 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Siegwald bearers went from 118 to 113 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 6,081 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #147,221.
FAQ
Siegwald surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Siegwald?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Siegwald. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Siegwald?
Siegwald ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Siegwald. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Siegwald.
Has Siegwald become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Siegwald went from 118 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Siegwald?
Among Census respondents with the surname Siegwald, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.5%) and Two or More Races (7.1%). 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 Siegwald in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.0% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Siegwald appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.0%), Hispanic (11.5%), Two or More Races (7.1%). 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 Siegwald (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 Siegwald mean?
An Old German surname likely derived from "sigu" meaning victory and "wald" meaning ruler. 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 Siegwald (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 Americans have the surname Siegwald?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.