The Sellers surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 42,577 people carried this name — #814 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 6,930 people counted. That is up 2% from 41,561 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Sellers surname

Patronymic from Seller.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Sellers» (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 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.

In the Nordic population registers

21 people named Sellers is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 21

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Sellers 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 the first U.S. census, 1790

116 families named Sellers, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 672 people lived in those households, 5.8 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 4 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

Pennsylvania 50
North Carolina 28
South Carolina 15
Maryland 12
Virginia 4
Maine 3
New Hampshire 2
Connecticut 1
New York 1

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

Sellers in American newspapers,
1886–1913.

Newspaper page from The Southern Herald carrying the name Sellers
The Southern Herald 1886-02-20
Newspaper page from Signal-copiahan carrying the name Sellers
Signal-copiahan 1886-02-04
Newspaper page from The Natchitoches Enterprise carrying the name Sellers
The Natchitoches Enterprise 1913-10-09

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,404 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Sellers in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1990s.

8,901 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Sellers. The most, 1,419, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 3,411
Queensland 1,972
Victoria 1,570
South Australia 867
Tasmania 657
Western Australia 278
ACT (Canberra) 106

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

Who carried it

People named Sellers,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Salome Sellers
    Salome Sellers 1800–1909
  • William Sellers
    William Sellers 1824–1905 · screenwriter
  • Anna Peale Sellers
    Anna Peale Sellers 1824–1905 · artist
  • John Sellers 1728–1804 · politician
  • John Sellers 1762–1847
  • Sophonisba Angusciola Peale Sellers 1786–1859 · artist

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 Sellers,
in the records of 7 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 States2,381 records

2,381 records of the Sellers name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,384
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 538
  • Other U.S. records 459
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Dallas Sellers

    Born 1930; from Hudson County, New Jersey. U.S. Army, light weapons infantry leader; killed in action 1952 in North Korea. Buried at Beverly National Cemetery, New Jersey.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record John M. Sellers

    Born 1920 in Kentucky. Enlisted 1942 at Cincinnati, Ohio; machine shop worker from Kenton County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1962, buried at Mother of God Cemetery, Latonia, Kentucky.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Adriatic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 28; servant. From London, England; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 2,381 records for Sellers in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · 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, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia391 records

391 records of the Sellers name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 177
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 132
  • Other Australian records 82
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Ruby Annie Sellers

    Born 1914 in 205 Liverpool Stret, Hobart, Tasmania. Died 1936 in Tasmania, aged 22.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Myrtle Kathleen Sellers

    Died 1933 in Tasmania, aged 35. Will registered in Tasmania in 1934.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record James Sellers

    Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1850. Married 1850 in Longford, Tasmania, aged 29.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 391 records for Sellers in Australia.

Counts: Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Canada200 records

200 records of the Sellers name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 171
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 8
  • Other Canadian records 21
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Nich Sellers

    Killed in 1905 at the Reserve Mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Frederick H. Sellers

    Buried in 1943 at Mount Hermon Cemetery, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, aged 60.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  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 George Edward Sellers

    Died in service in 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 200 records for Sellers in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · 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. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom22 records

22 records of the Sellers name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 12
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 8
  • Other British records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Daniel Sellers

    Buried in 1910 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 69.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record John Sellers

    Will proved in 1889; of Amlwch, Anglesey.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. Sellers

    East Lancashire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

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

Showing 3 of 22 records for Sellers in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands21 records

21 records of the Sellers name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 10
  • Dutch population registers 6
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 5
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Johan Christiaan Sellers

    Died 1832 in Veenhuizen (Norg); born 1768 in Zutphen; labourer.

    Open Archives, Drents Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Elsken Sellers

    Married in 1715 in Veenendaal; born in Ceulsland.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Gotier Sellers

    Died 1811 in Breda.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 21 records for Sellers in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

New Zealand10 records

10 records of the Sellers name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 9
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Hilda Sellers

    Died 1971, aged 79; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record L. H. Sellers

    New Zealand Machine Gun 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 Lillian Sellers

    Died 1954, aged 81; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 10 records for Sellers in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

France1 record

1 record of the Sellers 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 Antoine Sellers

    Born 1919 in Spain; died 1994 in Paris.

    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 Sellers.

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Sellers.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Sellers 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 Sellers volume
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