The Sellars surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,232 people carried this name — #5,576 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 47,400 people counted. That is up 8% from 5,773 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Sellars surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of the cellar’.

An early record he cites: Adam de Celer, Yorkshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Sellers and Sellars.

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

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Sellars was found among the farmers of Yorkshire, North and East Ridings: 10 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent. His list gives one count for the spellings Sellars and Sellers.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Yorkshire, North and East Ridings 10

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In print

Sellars in American newspapers,
1899–1929.

Newspaper page from South Bend News-times carrying the name Sellars
South Bend News-times 1929-05-12
Newspaper page from The Berne Witness carrying the name Sellars
The Berne Witness 1899-10-19
Newspaper page from South Bend News-times carrying the name Sellars
South Bend News-times 1929-06-09

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 21,150 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Sellars in Australian newspapers,
1840s–2000s.

14,019 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Sellars. The most, 3,342, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 6,067
New South Wales 3,450
South Australia 1,902
Victoria 1,553
Tasmania 730
Western Australia 254
ACT (Canberra) 44
Northern Territory 1

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

Who carried it

People named Sellars,
with a public archive behind them.

  • George Sellars
    George Sellars 1886–1917 · rugby union player
  • James Sellars 1843–1888 · architect
  • John Sellars 1865–1911 · sport shooter
  • Roy Wood Sellars 1880–1973 · university teacher
  • Roy Wood Sellars 1880–1973 · university teacher
  • Ernie Sellars 1890–1955 · Australian rules football player

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 Sellars,
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 States489 records

489 records of the Sellars name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 203
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 111
  • Other U.S. records 175
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Woodrow C. Sellars

    Born 1914 in Kentucky. Enlisted 1940 at Fort Knox; auto mechanic from Graves County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1974, buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Conrad Sellars

    Arrived at New York in 1852 aboard the Jane E. Walsh from Liverpool, aged 45; tailor. From Hesse Nassau, Germany; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record David Key Sellars

    U.S. Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War. Born 1934, died 1997; buried at Tahoma National Cemetery, Washington.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 489 records for Sellars in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia365 records

365 records of the Sellars name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 140
  • Tasmanian Names Index 89
  • Other Australian records 136
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Alfred William Sellars

    Born 1867 in Westbury, Tasmania. Died 1937 in Tasmania, aged 69.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Peter Sellars

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Larkins, arriving 1829; certificate of freedom 1836.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Elizth Sellars

    Arrived in Victoria in 1855 aboard the Schomberg, aged 27; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 365 records for Sellars in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada158 records

158 records of the Sellars name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 138
  • Halifax municipal cemeteries 10
  • Other Canadian records 10
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Hannah J. Sellars

    Buried in 1947 at Mount Hermon Cemetery, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, aged 75.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Merlin Robie Sellars

    Died 1963 in Five Fathom Harbour, Halifax, 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 Allan Augustus Sellars

    Died in service in 1916.

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

Showing 3 of 158 records for Sellars in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. 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).

New Zealand17 records

17 records of the Sellars name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Oscar Sellars

    Died 1954, aged 74; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Emma Sellars

    Died 1909, aged 53; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Austin Ashworth Sellars

    Died 1949, aged 37; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 17 records for Sellars in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom13 records

13 records of the Sellars name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 10
  • Stirling Council burial records 2
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William W. Sellars

    Died 1951, aged 65; buried at Bannockburn Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. Sellars

    Army Cyclist Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edith Sellars

    Died 1968, aged 81; buried at Bannockburn Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 13 records for Sellars in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France1 record

1 record of the Sellars name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Cecile Marie Ernestine Sellars

    Born 1921 in Calais; died 1993 in Calais (Pas-de-Calais).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Other spellings of this name

The same name, spelled another way.

Spellings that H. B. Guppy (England and Wales, 1890) or the Registrar-General for Ireland (births index of 1890) counted as one name together with Sellars.

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Sellars.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Sellars 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 Sellars volume
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