2000
#15,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,729
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Semler
A German surname likely derived from the Middle High German "semeler", meaning an assembler or joiner of wooden objects.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,938 Americans carry the last name Semler. That puts it at #16,502 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 176,860 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Semler 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
1.9K
1 in 176,860
Census rank
#16,502
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,690 bearers of the surname Semler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16502nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Semler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Semler
The surname Semler is of German origin and is believed to have originated in the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Semmel," which means a small loaf or roll of bread. The name was likely given to a baker or someone associated with the baking trade.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Semler can be found in the church records of Saxony, Germany, where a Johann Semler was listed as a resident in the village of Schöneck in 1567. Another early reference to the name is found in the baptismal records of St. Peter's Church in Erfurt, where a child named Hans Semler was baptized in 1602.
In the 17th century, the name Semler appeared in various regions of Germany, including Saxony, Thuringia, and Bavaria. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Salomo Semler, a German theologian and biblical scholar who lived from 1725 to 1791. He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Enlightenment and is considered a pioneer of biblical criticism.
In the 18th century, the Semler name spread to other parts of Europe as German immigrants settled in new lands. For instance, a Johann Friedrich Semler was born in 1754 in Dürkheim, Germany, and later emigrated to Russia, where he became a respected merchant and landowner.
Another historical figure with the surname Semler was Carl August Semler, a German physician and naturalist who lived from 1767 to 1825. He made significant contributions to the study of botany and zoology and was known for his extensive collection of natural specimens.
In the 19th century, the Semler name found its way to North America as German immigrants sought new opportunities. One such immigrant was Christian Semler, who was born in 1822 in Saxony and later settled in Pennsylvania, where he worked as a farmer and industrialist.
As the Semler surname spread across various regions and cultures, it underwent some variations in spelling, including Semmler, Sembler, and Semlinger. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained rooted in the German word "Semmel" and its association with the baking trade.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Semler
Among Census respondents with the surname Semler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Semler 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 Semler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 1,564
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 78
- Two or more races1.5% · 26
- Black or African American0.6% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Semler
Semler 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
#16,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,755
+26 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 865 places
2020
#16,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,690
-65 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Down 107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,530 | 1,729 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,395 | 1,755 | 0.59 | +26 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 865 places |
| 2020 | #16,502 | 1,690 | 0.57 | -65 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 107 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 Semler 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 | #16,395 | #16,502 | -0.7% |
| Count | 1,755 | 1,690 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.59 | 0.57 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Semler bearers went from 1,755 to 1,690 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 107 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,395 to #16,502.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Semler
FAQ
Semler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Semler?
Name Census estimates that about 1,938 living Americans carry the surname Semler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 176,860 residents.
How common is Semler?
Semler ranks #16,502 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.57 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 1,690 people with the surname Semler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,938), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.57 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 Semler.
Has Semler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Semler went from 1,755 recorded bearers to 1,690. That is a decrease of 65 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,395 to #16,502.
What does the Census say about the background of Semler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Semler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) 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 Semler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (1,564 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Semler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (4.6%), 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 Semler (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 Semler mean?
A German surname likely derived from the Middle High German "semeler", meaning an assembler or joiner of wooden objects. 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 Semler (0.57 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 Semler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.