Surname Sellmeier - Meaning and Origin

Sellmeier: What does the surname Sellmeier mean?

The last name Sellmeier is of German origin. It is a locational name derived from a place called Sellmeier, derived from the German word Sel, which means "hall", and the word Meier, which is the term for a guardian of a manor or estate.

The earliest records of the Sellmeier name date back to the 1700s in the area of Saxony. This is when a Karl Wilhelm Sellmeier and Johann Daniel Sellmeier were recorded as living in Zermorgen, Germany. In the 1700s, Germany consisted of many small kingdoms and states united into the German Empire in 1871.

The Sellmeier family name is associated with many distinguished families, including Ernst Sellmeier, who was part of the second expedition to the Antarctic in 1901 and 1902, and Karl Wilhelm Sellmeier, a prominent German physicist in the 19th century known for his work on the theory of optics.

Surnames were often derived from the place a person lived or belonged to, their job or craft, their physical makeup or stature, or an event or deed. The Sellmeier last name can be viewed as indicating a long history of land ownership and estate management, as well as honourable scientific achievements.

Sellmeier: Where does the name Sellmeier come from?

The surname Sellmeier is of German-origin and is most commonly found in the German-speaking countries of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. It can also be found throughout other European countries where a large German-speaking immigrant population has settled.

In Germany, the states of Nordrhein-Westfalen, Hamburg, and Kapellen have the highest frequencies of people with the surname Sellmeier. In Switzerland, the surname is most common in the cantons of Zurich, Bern, and Basel-Stadt.

The surname is also found in the United States, specifically in the states of Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Most of the family's descendants there can trace back their origins to Germany or Austria.

In addition, the surname Sellmeier is found in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, with most families having emigrated from Germany.

Overall, the surname Sellmeier is very common in the German-speaking countries of Europe and those countries which have accepted a large population of German immigrants in the last couple of centuries. It is particularly prominent in the states of Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the provinces of Ontario and Alberta in Canada.

Variations of the surname Sellmeier

The surname Sellmeier is most likely of Germanic origin, stemming from the Middle Low German selle, meaning “salt-pan” or “salt meadow”, and the suffix “meier”, meaning “adminstrator”. Variants of the surname include Sellmaier, Sellmair, Sellmeyer, Sellmayr, Salmair, Salmaier, Selmaier, Selmayer, Zellemaier, and Zellmaier.

Those bearing the Sellmeier surname today can be found in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and parts of the United States. In the US it is mostly found in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and North Dakota.

Some other surnames that may have been derived from the Middle Low German selle, but are not formally related to Sellmeier are Salter, Salzer, Sauter, and Seltzer.

The earliest instance of the surname Sellmeier appears in the Germanic region of Upper Bavaria in the early 1600s, where one Johannes Sellmeier is documented. In the 17th century the Sellmeier family members expanded to the towns of Muehlhausen, Berschweiler, and Breisach near Strasbourg.

The Sellmeier surname experienced an influx of immigrants in the 19th and early 20th centuries when many Germans moved to America. Some members of the clan that came to America experienced anglicized versions of their name, such as Sellmere, Sellmeyer, and Sellman. As well as other variations such as Selmier, Selmaker, Selman, Salmi, and Selman.

Famous people with the name Sellmeier

• Christian Sellmeier: German composer
• Erwin Sellmeier: German physical chemist
• Herta Sellmeier: German lawyer, politician, author
• C.A. Sellmeier: German mathematician
• Wilhelm Sellmeier: German mathematician
• Friedrich Sellmeier: German physicist
• Bruno Sellmeier: German physicist
• Peter Sellmeier: German engineer
• Nico Sellmeier: German archaeologist
• Mathilda Sellmeier: German writer and journalist

Other surnames

Sellmeir