2000
#114,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Sieman
A locational surname referring to someone from a location with the name Siemen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Sieman. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sieman 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Sieman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sieman, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sieman
The surname "SIEMAN" is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "sieb," which means "sieve" or "strainer." This occupational surname was likely given to someone who worked as a sieve maker or a miller.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "SIEMAN" can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the year 1241. The record mentions a certain "Henricus Sieman" from the town of Merseburg.
In the 14th century, the name "SIEMAN" appeared in the Braunschweigische Reimchronik, a chronicle written in Middle Low German, which documented the history of the Duchy of Brunswick. It mentions a "Johannes Sieman" who was a prominent citizen of the city of Braunschweig.
During the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname "SIEMAN" was Joachim Sieman (1506-1564), a German Lutheran theologian and reformer from Saxony. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation and was a close associate of Martin Luther.
In the 17th century, the name "SIEMAN" was found in the records of the town of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad) in East Prussia. A merchant named Hans Sieman (1620-1685) was mentioned as a prominent figure in the local trade guilds.
Another notable individual with the surname "SIEMAN" was Johann Sieman (1688-1742), a German composer and organist from Hamburg. He was renowned for his contributions to the development of the North German organ school.
Throughout its history, the surname "SIEMAN" has also been associated with various place names and locations, particularly in Germany and neighboring regions. Some examples include Siemannshaus, a village in the district of Diepholz in Lower Saxony, and Siemanskloof, a valley in South Africa named after a German settler with the surname "SIEMAN."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sieman
Among Census respondents with the surname Sieman, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sieman 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 Sieman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.2% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sieman
Sieman 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-40 bearers (-28.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 44,266 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+6 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,497 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,166 | 142 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -40 bearers (-28.2%) | Down 44,266 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.9%) | Up 7,497 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 Sieman 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 | #158,432 | #150,935 | 4.7% |
| Count | 102 | 108 | 5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sieman bearers went from 102 to 108 (+5.9% change). The surname moved up 7,497 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #150,935.
FAQ
Sieman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sieman?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Sieman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Sieman?
Sieman ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Sieman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Sieman.
Has Sieman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sieman went from 102 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 6 (+5.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Sieman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sieman, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Sieman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.2% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sieman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.2%), Hispanic (1.9%), Black (0.9%). 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 Sieman (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 Sieman mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a location with the name Siemen. 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 Sieman (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 are called Sieman?
If you just want to know how common the surname Sieman is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.