Explore the Family Name Seele
The meaning of Seele
North German: 1. topographic name from Middle Low German sele ‘meadow, bog’. 2. metonymic occupational name for a harness maker, from Middle Low German sele ‘harness’. 3. patronymic from an ancient Germanic personal name containing the element sala ‘hall’. Some characteristic forenames: German Frederika, Horst, Wolfgang.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Seele in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Seele has seen a decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Seele was ranked 63,450 in terms of commonality amongst surnames in the United States. By 2010, this rank had dropped to 81,181. This represents a drop of nearly 28% over the course of a decade. The actual count of individuals bearing the surname also decreased from 294 in 2000 to 233 in 2010, a reduction of almost 21%. Accordingly, the proportion of Seeles per 100,000 people in the U.S. population also reduced by about 27%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #63,450 | #81,181 | -27.94% |
| Count | 294 | 233 | -20.75% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.11 | 0.08 | -27.27% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Seele
Ethnic identity associated with the surname Seele also changed significantly over the period from 2000 to 2010, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, 90.14% of those with the Seele surname identified as White, but this figure fell slightly to 87.98% by 2010. There were also individuals who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander and Black in 2000, accounting for 2.72% and 2.04% respectively, but this data was suppressed (S) in 2010 for privacy reasons. Interestingly, the percentage of people named Seele identifying as Hispanic more than doubled, rising from 3.06% in 2000 to 6.44% in 2010. Data for those identifying as two or more races or as American Indian and Alaskan Native was not available for both periods.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 90.14% | 87.98% | -2.4% |
| Hispanic | 3.06% | 6.44% | 110.46% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 2.72% | 0% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 2.04% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |