Seely Surname

48,080th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 10,740 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Yemen

Seely Surname Definition:

Nick 'the seely,' the simple, the innocent, the harmless; compare Simple. 'Seely = simple, silly' (Halliwell). 'This sely carpenter beginneth quake.'

Chancer, C. T. 3601.

William Sely, Oxfordshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Egidius Sely, Norfolk ibid.

Read More About This Surname

Seely Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States7,6731:47,2385,733
Yemen1,7231:15,3371,735
Canada7651:48,1645,843
England3201:174,11915,890
South Africa441:1,231,31169,478
Australia421:642,75544,739
Iraq311:1,129,73113,630
Brazil171:12,592,608246,358
Northern Ireland141:131,7887,342
Hungary141:701,16338,752
Ireland141:336,35312,021
Lebanon131:433,62211,952
Thailand111:6,421,668407,040
New Zealand81:566,04034,598
France71:9,488,960336,266
Belize51:71,0952,977
Sweden51:1,969,351134,077
Scotland41:1,338,45435,497
United Arab Emirates41:2,290,56860,372
India41:191,766,3461,073,940
United States Virgin Islands31:36,7924,502
Ecuador21:7,952,92334,269
Japan21:63,922,14662,827
Germany21:40,252,730481,636
China21:683,660,78330,601
Austria21:4,257,71899,224
Spain11:46,752,036156,870
Bermuda11:65,2793,010
Russia11:144,123,056881,408
Belgium11:11,496,644167,539
Papua New Guinea11:8,153,717181,784
Norway11:5,142,286129,201
Bosnia and Herzegovina11:3,536,40219,532
Mexico11:124,126,205103,776
Liberia11:4,408,53547,110
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland91:492,20716,355
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England2781:87,6819,186
Scotland91:415,91311,811
Wales51:313,68310,604
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States2,8161:17,8332,272

Seely (126) may also be a first name.

Seely Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

Nick 'the seely,' the simple, the innocent, the harmless; compare Simple. 'Seely = simple, silly' (Halliwell). 'This sely carpenter beginneth quake.'

Chancer, C. T. 3601.

William Sely, Oxfordshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Egidius Sely, Norfolk ibid.

John Sely, Gloucestershire, ibid.

Thomas Sely, London, 20 Edward I: Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III.

(a) Bapt 'the son of Cecil,' from the nick. Sill and pet Sillie; compare Willie, Charlie, &c. (v. Silcock). There can scarcely be the shadow of a doubt as to this being a chief parent of the surname.

Sely atte Bergh, Somerset, 1 Edward III: Kirby's Quest.

Sely Percy, Somerset, 1 Edward III: ibid.

Sely Scury, Somerset, 1 Edward III: ibid.

William Sely, Somerset, 1 Edward III: ibid.

1618-0. John Symonds and Anne Seley: Marriage Lic. (London).

1621-2. William Stanmore and Margaret Seely: ibid.

1760. Baptised — William Jeffrey, son of Jeffrey Sealy: St. Peter, Cornhill.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

(English) Happy, Blessed; Simple (mod. Silly) [Middle English seli, se(e)ly; Old English sǽlig, happy: the corresponding German name is Selig (O.H.Ger. sálig), happy, etc.] John Sely.—Hundred Rolls þor [there] was in helle a sundri stede wor [where] þe seli folc reste dede.—13th-cent. metrical vers. of Gen & Ex., 1986-7.

For sely is that deth, soth for to seyne, That, ofte y- cleped, com’th and endeth peyne !—Chaucer, Troil. & Cris., iv. 503-4.

That Nicholas shal shapen hym a wyle This sely, jalous housbonde to bigyle.— Chaucer, Cant. Tales, A 3403-4.

This man lokede opon me, And leet the plough stonden; And seyde, ‘Sely man, Whi syghest thou so harde’?—Piers Plowman’s Creed, 881-4.

The seely man, seeing him ryde so rancke, And ayme at him, fell flat to ground for feare.—Spenser, Faerie Queene, II.iii. 6

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

(English) The happy or prosperous person; the good, simple man.

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

Seely Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Seely Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name Seely is found in The United States more than any other country or territory. It can be rendered in the variant forms:. For other possible spellings of this name click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Seely? popularity and diffusion

The last name is the 48,080th most numerous family name on earth, held by approximately 1 in 678,542 people. This last name is primarily found in The Americas, where 79 percent of Seely are found; 78 percent are found in North America and 78 percent are found in Anglo-North America. Seely is also the 829,183rd most frequently held forename at a global level It is held by 126 people.

It is most common in The United States, where it is borne by 7,673 people, or 1 in 47,238. In The United States it is most numerous in: Texas, where 10 percent live, California, where 10 percent live and Utah, where 9 percent live. Other than The United States this last name exists in 34 countries. It is also common in Yemen, where 16 percent live and Canada, where 7 percent live.

Seely Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The occurrence of Seely has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people bearing the Seely surname grew 272 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it grew 115 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Ireland it grew 156 percent between 1901 and 2014 and in Scotland it fell 56 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Seely Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those holding the Seely surname is predominantly Catholic (100%) in Ireland and Maronite (78%) in Lebanon.

In The United States those bearing the Seely surname are 16.67% more likely to be registered Republicans than The US average, with 63.44% being registered to vote for the political party.

The amount Seely earn in different countries varies markedly. In South Africa they earn 43.08% more than the national average, earning R 340,008 per year; in United States they earn 0.76% more than the national average, earning $43,475 USD per year and in Canada they earn 3.28% more than the national average, earning $51,312 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Seeley9119,459/
Sheely913,146/
Sehely91184/
Seelay916/
Seelly912/
Seelya912/
Seehly911/
Seeluy911/
Seelyh911/
Seyely911/
Seelys910/
Seeliy910/
Sceely910/
Seelyo910/
Sely89986/
Sheeley832,651/
Scheely8333/
Seelley8314/
Sseelya838/
Sheelly834/
Sehelly834/
Szeeley832/
Szehely832/
Seealey831/
Sceeley831/
Seelyss831/
Sheealy831/
Szeyely831/
Seesley831/
Shehely831/
Sheelya831/
Sheetly830/
Seeleey830/
Sheelay830/
Sheeliy830/
Sealy8010,926/
Seela807,137/
Seliy804,836/
Seele803,976/
Seuly801,552/
Seeli801,348/
Selya80878/
Shely80868/
Seley80861/
Selay80697/
Sehly80512/
Ceely80417/
Saely80156/
Siely80124/
Seloy8062/
Seluy8038/
Suely8021/
Szely8013/
Seily808/
Soely804/
Selhy802/
Zsely802/
Selyi802/
Selyo802/
Seløy801/
Seyly800/
Scely800/
Sheesley771,335/
Scheeley7753/
Scheiely771/
Sheelley771/
Sheeslay771/
Scheesly770/
Shelly7312,789/
Sealey7311,214/
Sheuly739,303/
Sheela739,188/
Shealy736,170/
Sheley732,046/
Selaya731,293/
Sheeli731,006/
Seeler73994/
Seilay73895/
Sheele73278/
Souely73274/
Setley73197/
Seiley73162/
Sieley73143/
Sesley73130/
Shiely73115/
Seelee73104/
Seasly7398/
Selych7390/
Seelie7387/
Selhay7381/
Scealy7362/
Seilly7360/
Selaiy7350/
Seally7344/
Saleey7338/
Seelis7333/
Schely7333/
Sheloy7327/
Seelaa7327/
Seyele7327/
Ceeley7326/
Shelya7324/
Sheily7319/
Suelly7319/
Zselyi7318/
Saeloy7317/
Selahy7316/
Seeyle7315/
Ceyely7314/
Shelay7312/
Shelyp7312/
Sceley7310/
Seelai7310/
Zeelay7310/
Shuely739/
Sileey738/
Soeliy737/
Seyeli737/
Seelia736/
Seelge736/
Szeley736/
Seully735/
Seeles735/
Saeluy735/
Sejeli735/
Sehley734/
Sealay734/
Sejele734/
Sceele734/
Sielay734/
Sjeela734/
Sielys734/
Sueley733/
Seelli733/
Seesle733/
Shoely733/
Seelit733/
Scelys733/
Selysh733/
Selays733/
Saelay733/
Sealoy733/
Zeeley732/
Sheliy732/
Saeley732/
Shaely732/
Seelle732/
Shelyh732/
Sceela731/
Seleey731/
Settly731/
Selyai731/
Seelid731/
Seelii731/
Sehliy731/
Seyley731/
Saelly731/
Sajely731/
Suelyo731/
Shehly731/
Soyely731/
Seslyi731/
Soelyo731/
Shelyo731/
Sselya731/
Syelly731/
Seuley730/
Seloyd730/
Hselya730/
Seelea730/
Selayd730/
Seeliz730/
Soeley730/
Seelip730/
Scheesley7143/
Saweelaay719/
Scheieley711/
Shettelly711/
Shelley6730,555/
Sela6723,489/
Cely6714,617/
Sele6712,414/
Scheele679,023/
Seli675,345/
Sheeler672,055/
Shealey671,537/
Sejaliy67691/
Shetley67669/
Cheeley67640/
Sily67412/
Sejilay67177/
Savelyi67144/
Shelyst67133/
Sejalay67131/
Settley6799/
Schiely6793/
Saveliy6779/
Sajeela6770/
Syly6759/
Säly6759/
Sceeles6756/
Sheally6755/
Secelle6752/
Shielly6747/
Sheilly6739/
Selj6733/
Sheella6729/
Selyuha6728/
Sheasly6727/
Seselle6723/
Scheley6722/
Seilaya6720/
Soyeliy6720/
Souleey6718/
Seelich6713/
Schuely6712/
Shheela6711/
Sayeela6710/
Seasley6710/
Sayeloy679/
Sheilya678/
Sealley677/
Soueley677/
Seyelle676/
Seeyali675/
Shesley675/
Sheiley675/
Shellay675/
Zeelaay675/
Sheelit674/
Sheleey674/
Schoely674/
Shaelly674/
Selehyi674/
Saieela673/
Sheelaa673/
Schealy673/
Seieler673/
Seeyala673/
Soveliy672/
Seilley672/
Sheesle672/
Shelaay672/
Shellya672/
Shehaly672/
Secelli672/
Seheler671/
Sajeele671/
Sahealy671/
Saehlly671/
Cheesly671/
Sceehle671/
Sceelle671/
Sayeele671/
Sieslay671/
Shieliy671/
Sheelie671/
Shejele671/
Shelaya671/
Shelloy671/
Seehale671/
Seetles671/
Seheele671/
Seyeles671/
Shealay671/
Sheehle671/
Shaeley671/
Szelaya671/
Seehler671/
Sheelee671/
Seelees671/
Souelly671/
Sehelle671/
Souelyt671/
Setelle671/
Sheualy671/
Sielaya671/
Síly671/
Ceheley671/
Cheetly671/
Sheueli671/
Seetlei671/
Seeleer671/
Seilysh671/
Saehluy671/
Shaiely671/
Suellyo671/
Shieley670/
Shettly670/
Seuiley670/
Sheyley670/
Shealys670/
Sheelia670/
Sheatly670/
Seettle670/
Seesler670/
Seeleth670/
Seisley670/
Scealey670/
Sheelet670/
Seahley670/
Seulley670/
Seetler670/
Siehley670/

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Seely
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis