NameCensus.

UK surname

Seel

A surname derived from the Old English word "sæl" meaning "seal" or "sea-calf".

In the 1881 census there were 301 people recorded with the Seel surname, ranking it #9,694 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 351, ranked #13,127, down from #9,694 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Stockport, Manchester and Rochdale. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bury, Alness and Cherwell.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Seel is 456 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 16.6%.

1881 census count

301

Ranked #9,694

Modern count

351

2016, ranked #13,127

Peak year

1911

456 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Seel had 301 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,694 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 351 in 2016, ranked #13,127.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 456 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Seel surname distribution map

The map shows where the Seel surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Seel surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Seel over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 170 #11,780
1861 historical 192 #12,423
1881 historical 301 #9,694
1891 historical 368 #9,464
1901 historical 397 #9,521
1911 historical 456 #8,409
1997 modern 391 #11,196
1998 modern 378 #11,871
1999 modern 381 #11,873
2000 modern 398 #11,443
2001 modern 405 #11,121
2002 modern 411 #11,208
2003 modern 402 #11,228
2004 modern 397 #11,345
2005 modern 375 #11,752
2006 modern 370 #11,940
2007 modern 364 #12,237
2008 modern 363 #12,359
2009 modern 377 #12,269
2010 modern 391 #12,207
2011 modern 361 #12,800
2012 modern 341 #13,217
2013 modern 346 #13,291
2014 modern 350 #13,263
2015 modern 356 #13,009
2016 modern 351 #13,127

Geography

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Where Seels are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Stockport, Manchester, Rochdale, Prestwich and Ashton-under-Lyne. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bury, Alness, Cherwell, Bolton and Shieldhill. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Stockport Cheshire
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Rochdale Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Prestwich Lancashire
5 Ashton-under-Lyne Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bury 016 Bury
2 Alness Highland
3 Cherwell 009 Cherwell
4 Bolton 012 Bolton
5 Shieldhill Falkirk

Forenames

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First names often paired with Seel

These lists show first names that appear often with the Seel surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Seel

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Seel, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Seel surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Seel household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Seel is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Seel is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Seel falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Seel is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Seel, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Seel

The surname Seel is believed to have originated in England, with earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "sæl," meaning "seal" or "sea-lion," suggesting it may have been an occupational name for someone who worked with seals, such as a hunter or trader.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1524, which listed a John Seel residing in Staffordshire. The 1587 Muster Roll for Lancashire also mentions a Thomas Seel.

In the 17th century, the Seel surname appeared in various parish records throughout England, including the baptism of Isabell Seel in 1614 at St. Michael's Church in Alnwick, Northumberland. The name was also present in the Hearth Tax Records of 1674, which listed a William Seel in Lynchmere, Sussex.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not appear to contain any direct references to the Seel surname. However, it is possible that the name evolved from a location or place name mentioned in the survey.

Notable individuals with the surname Seel include:

1. John Seel (1592-1658), an English Catholic priest and controversialist. 2. Thomas Seele (1642-1700), a German composer and organist. 3. William Seel (1760-1846), an English engraver and portrait painter. 4. John Seel (1819-1896), a British coal miner and trade unionist. 5. Alfred Seel (1878-1963), a German engineer and inventor.

While the surname Seel is not particularly common, it has persisted throughout history, with roots tracing back to medieval England and a possible occupational origin related to seal hunting or trading.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Seel families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Seel surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 152 Seels recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.35x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 152 4.35x
Cheshire 70 10.76x
Yorkshire 35 1.20x
Surrey 16 1.11x
Middlesex 8 0.27x
Gloucestershire 6 1.04x
Lanarkshire 5 0.52x
Wiltshire 4 1.54x
Glamorgan 1 0.20x
Norfolk 1 0.22x
Northamptonshire 1 0.36x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.25x
Royal Navy 1 2.85x
Warwickshire 1 0.13x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stockport in Cheshire leads with 36 Seels recorded in 1881 and an index of 107.56x.

Place Total Index
Stockport 36 107.56x
Ashton Under Lyne 21 27.49x
Manchester 21 13.36x
Macclesfield 14 48.44x
Oldham 14 12.41x
Hunslet 12 26.36x
Saddleworth 11 48.85x
Disley Stanley 10 298.51x
Beswick 9 100.67x
Heaton Norris 9 45.23x
Croydon 8 10.04x
Chadderton 7 40.96x
Dewsbury 7 23.38x
Dukinfield 7 23.29x
Newton 7 25.98x
Reddish 7 145.23x
Toxteth Park 7 5.91x
Hulme 6 8.22x
Stretford 6 31.20x
Battersea 5 4.61x
Crompton 5 50.25x
Habergham Eaves 5 15.65x
Harpurhey 5 103.09x
Salford 5 4.86x
Barnsley 4 13.28x
Barton Upon Irwell 4 15.20x
Bristol St Paul In 4 25.99x
Calne 4 74.63x
Liverpool 4 1.88x
Fulham London 3 7.02x
Govan 3 1.27x
Little Bolton 3 6.67x
St George Hanover 3 7.80x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 2 3.68x
Camberwell 2 1.06x
Cheetham 2 7.67x
Glasgow 2 1.18x
Bermondsey 1 1.14x
Broughton In Salford 1 3.13x
Coyty Lower 1 30.03x
Didsbury 1 21.55x
Edgbaston 1 4.34x
Great Massingham 1 112.36x
Holbeck 1 5.17x
Layton With Warbreck 1 7.79x
Liscard 1 8.53x
North Meols 1 2.92x
Nottingham St Mary 1 0.97x
Royal Navy 1 3.33x
Rushden 1 26.95x
St Marylebone London 1 0.64x
St Pancras London 1 0.42x
Stayley 1 13.46x
Weston In Runcorn 1 59.17x
Withington 1 8.88x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Seel surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Seel surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
James 20
Thomas 17
William 16
Samuel 12
John 11
Henry 8
Joseph 7
Alfred 6
Robert 6
George 4
Charles 3
Harry 3
Edwin 2
Herbert 2
Nathaniel 2
Richard 2
Wm. 2
Zachariah 2
Albert 1
Benjamin 1
Douglas 1
Earnest 1
Edmond 1
Edward 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Fredk. 1
Hugh 1
Jabez 1
Jeremiah 1
Jerry 1
Jno. 1
Josh. 1
Ralph 1
Sam 1
Saml. 1
Simeon 1
Stanley 1
Tom 1
Wm.Ed. 1

FAQ

Seel surname: questions and answers

How common was the Seel surname in 1881?

In 1881, 301 people were recorded with the Seel surname. That placed it at #9,694 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Seel surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 351 in 2016. That gives Seel a modern rank of #13,127.

What does the Seel surname mean?

A surname derived from the Old English word "sæl" meaning "seal" or "sea-calf".

What does the Seel map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Seel bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.