Seifert
A German surname that likely began as a form of the old personal name Sigfrid/Siegfried, meaning “victory-peace.”
The #3,408 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 29,407 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is generally treated as a surname derived from a medieval personal name such as Sigfrid or Siegfried, built from Germanic elements meaning “victory” and “peace.” In the historical surname literature, Seifert is grouped with spellings like Seiffert, Seifried, and Siffert, all pointing back to that older given-name base. The first element is the common Germanic sig- “victory”; the second is from frid- “peace” or “protection.”
History
The surname is well established in German-speaking areas, and the 19th-century name scholars cited here repeatedly connect it with the old given name Sigfrid/Siegfried. Variant spellings were common before modern standardization, so forms such as Seiffert and Seifried could appear alongside Seifert in different regions. The name also spread beyond Germany into neighboring Germanic-language and immigrant communities.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname handbooks often list Seifert right next to Seifried and Seiffert, showing how closely medieval spelling and pronunciation could blur together.
From the historical record
“Sigifrid: Siegfried — Siefert; Sifard — Siffert — Seifert — Seifried; Seifert; Sey fahrt; Seifhardt; Seif- fer (Seifermann) — Seuffert; Seu- fer — Seefrid. Gen. Siefers — ASeifritx.”
— Die deutschen FamiliennamenNotable people named Seifert
- Jaroslav Seifert (1901–1986)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.