The Seely surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,571 people carried this name — #6,150 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 52,900 people counted. That is up 2% from 5,455 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Seely surname

Spelling variant of Seely.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Seely» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a nickname: ‘the seely’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: William Sely, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Seeley, Seely, Sealey, Sealy and Seelye.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 676 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

134 families named Seely, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 770 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 9 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

New York 63
Connecticut 46
Vermont 7
South Carolina 6
North Carolina 5
Massachusetts 4
Pennsylvania 3

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 261 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Seely in American newspapers,
1910.

Newspaper page from The Jeffersonian carrying the name Seely
The Jeffersonian 1910-12-08
Newspaper page from The Jeffersonian carrying the name Seely
The Jeffersonian 1910-12-29
Newspaper page from The Jeffersonian carrying the name Seely
The Jeffersonian 1910-12-22

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Seely in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1950s.

1,491 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Seely. The most, 311, date from the 1910s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 424
New South Wales 408
Victoria 311
South Australia 148
Western Australia 104
Tasmania 88
ACT (Canberra) 3

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Seely.

Who carried it

People named Seely,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Charles Seely
    Charles Seely 1803–1887 · businessperson
  • Sir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet
    Sir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet 1833–1915 · politician
  • Lilian Seely d. 1956
  • Lucy Seely d. 1903
  • Alexander McLaughlin Seely d. 1882
  • Bezaleel Seely 1725–1799

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Seely,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States660 records

660 records of the Seely name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 219
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 184
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 99
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 82
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 40
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 29
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 5
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Roy C. Seely

    Born 1914 in Oklahoma. Enlisted 1941 at Sacramento, California; farm hand. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1987, buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Richard Clair Seely

    Born 1947; from Berwick, Pennsylvania. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Seely

    Arrived at New York in 1850 aboard the Constitution from Liverpool, aged 20; servant. From Great Britain.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 660 records for Seely in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada80 records

80 records of the Seely name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 61
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 6
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 4
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 3
  • Halifax municipal cemeteries 2
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Raymond Louis Seely

    Buried in 1982 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 51.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Lydia Seely

    Died 1874 in Marshalltown, Digby, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record John Courtney Seely

    Died in service in 1944.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 80 records for Seely in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia45 records

45 records of the Seely name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 38
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 5
  • Tasmanian Names Index 1
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Arthur L. Seely

    Arrived in Victoria in 1860 aboard the Great Tasmania, aged 23; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Hilda J. Seely

    Domestic servant of Sunbury, Victoria; died 1920.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Jessie Matilda Seely

    Died 1928 in Tasmania, aged 59.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 45 records for Seely in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Germany3 records

3 records of the Seely name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Johann Seely

    From Worms. Reported taken prisoner in the Prussian casualty list of 6 December 1918 (Infantry Regiment No. 468).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Philipp Seely

    From Alsheim, Worms. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 3 May 1915.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Richard Seely

    From Worms. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 21 September 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom2 records

2 records of the Seely name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Seely

    East Yorkshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. Seely

    Royal Irish Rifles. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the Seely name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 1
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Isaak Seely

    Married in 1643 in Leiden; born in Vlaenderen.

    Open Archives, Erfgoed Leiden en omstreken (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Theron James Seely

    In a population register.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Seely.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Seely is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Seely volume
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