2000
#12,891
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,189
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Siewert
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "siwart," meaning "sieve maker" or "sieve seller."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,443 Americans carry the last name Siewert. That puts it at #13,619 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,301 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Siewert 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
2.4K
1 in 140,301
Census rank
#13,619
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,130 bearers of the surname Siewert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13619th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Siewert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Siewert
The surname Siewert has its origins in Germany, emerging in the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "siuweraht," which translates to "clear" or "pure." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone with a clear complexion or someone known for their honesty and integrity.
The earliest known records of the surname Siewert can be traced back to the 13th century in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. In those times, the name was often spelled as "Siuwert" or "Siwert," reflecting the variations in dialect and spelling conventions of the era.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Siewert can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the year 1271. This record mentions a "Sibertus de Rothenburg," which is believed to be an early variant of the Siewert name.
In the late 14th century, the name appears in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain "Hans Siewert" is mentioned as a prominent merchant and burgher. This suggests that the Siewert family had established a presence in urban centers and played a role in the economic life of the time.
As the centuries passed, the Siewert name continued to spread across Germany and beyond. Notable individuals with this surname include:
1. Johann Siewert (1541-1617), a German Lutheran theologian and reformer from Saxony.
2. Wilhelm Siewert (1863-1942), a German architect and urban planner who designed several landmark buildings in Berlin.
3. Anna Siewert (1876-1962), a German painter and printmaker known for her landscape and genre scenes.
4. Erich Siewert (1908-1995), a German-American aeronautical engineer who made significant contributions to aircraft design during World War II.
5. Gerhard Siewert (1940-2008), a German footballer who played as a striker for several Bundesliga clubs, including Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Throughout its history, the Siewert name has also been associated with various place names, such as Siewertshausen, a village in the German state of Hesse, and Siewert, a former municipality in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, now part of the town of Kemberg.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Siewert
Among Census respondents with the surname Siewert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Siewert 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 Siewert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 1,964
- Two or more races3.2% · 68
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Siewert
Siewert 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
#13,474
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,258
+69 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 583 places
2020
#13,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,130
-128 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 145 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,891 | 2,189 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,474 | 2,258 | 0.77 | +69 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 583 places |
| 2020 | #13,619 | 2,130 | 0.71 | -128 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 145 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 Siewert 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 | #13,474 | #13,619 | -1.1% |
| Count | 2,258 | 2,130 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.71 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Siewert bearers went from 2,258 to 2,130 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 145 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,474 to #13,619.
FAQ
Siewert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Siewert?
Name Census estimates that about 2,443 living Americans carry the surname Siewert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,301 residents.
How common is Siewert?
Siewert ranks #13,619 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,130 people with the surname Siewert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,443), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Siewert.
Has Siewert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Siewert went from 2,258 recorded bearers to 2,130. That is a decrease of 128 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,474 to #13,619.
What does the Census say about the background of Siewert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Siewert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Siewert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (1,964 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Siewert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Siewert (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 Siewert mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "siwart," meaning "sieve maker" or "sieve seller." 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 Siewert (0.71 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 Siewert?
Find out how many people are called Siewert on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.