2000
#99,214
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 169
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Seinfeld
A surname with German origins meaning "new field" or "new clearing".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 149 Americans carry the last name Seinfeld. That puts it at #134,631 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,300,365 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Seinfeld 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
149
1 in 2,300,365
Census rank
#134,631
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
130
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 130 bearers of the surname Seinfeld in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 134631st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Seinfeld, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Seinfeld
The surname Seinfeld is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German words "sein" meaning "his" and "feld" meaning "field." It was likely originally a habitational name for someone who lived near a particular field or area of land. It's believed to have originated in the 13th or 14th century in the German-speaking regions of Europe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Seinfeld can be found in the medieval German records from the town of Seinfeld, located in the present-day state of Hesse, Germany. The town was first mentioned in historical documents dating back to the year 1265, suggesting the surname may have originated around this time or shortly after.
The Seinfeld name appears to have been relatively uncommon throughout much of history, with only a handful of notable individuals bearing this surname. One early example is Johann Seinfeld, a German scholar and theologian who lived in the late 15th century. He was known for his work on religious texts and his contributions to theological debates of the time.
In the 18th century, a notable figure with the Seinfeld surname was Friedrich Seinfeld, a German philosopher and writer born in 1724. He published several works on ethics and moral philosophy, which were influential during the Enlightenment period.
Another individual of historical significance was Karl Seinfeld (1805-1879), a German-born American farmer and entrepreneur who helped establish one of the first successful commercial vineyards in the Napa Valley region of California in the mid-19th century.
Moving into the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the Seinfeld surname was the American comedian and actor Jerry Seinfeld, born in 1954. He is best known for co-creating and starring in the iconic sitcom "Seinfeld," which aired from 1989 to 1998 and is considered one of the greatest and most influential comedies in television history.
While the Seinfeld surname may not be as widespread as some others, it has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages in Germany and has been associated with notable figures in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Seinfeld
Among Census respondents with the surname Seinfeld, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Seinfeld 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 Seinfeld surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 121
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 4
- Two or more races1.5% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Seinfeld
Seinfeld 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
#110,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 160
-9 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 11,072 places
2020
#134,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
-30 bearers (-18.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,345 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #99,214 | 169 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #110,286 | 160 | 0.05 | -9 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 11,072 places |
| 2020 | #134,631 | 130 | 0.04 | -30 bearers (-18.8%) | Down 24,345 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 Seinfeld 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 | #110,286 | #134,631 | -22.1% |
| Count | 160 | 130 | -18.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Seinfeld bearers went from 160 to 130 (-18.8% change). The surname moved down 24,345 positions in the national ranking, going from #110,286 to #134,631.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Seinfeld
FAQ
Seinfeld surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Seinfeld?
Name Census estimates that about 149 living Americans carry the surname Seinfeld. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,300,365 residents.
How common is Seinfeld?
Seinfeld ranks #134,631 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 130 people with the surname Seinfeld. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (149), 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 Seinfeld.
Has Seinfeld become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Seinfeld went from 160 recorded bearers to 130. That is a decrease of 30 (-18.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #110,286 to #134,631.
What does the Census say about the background of Seinfeld?
Among Census respondents with the surname Seinfeld, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Seinfeld in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (121 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Seinfeld appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Seinfeld (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 Seinfeld mean?
A surname with German origins meaning "new field" or "new clearing". 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 Seinfeld (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 share the surname Seinfeld?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.