Siegel
A German surname that may derive from a nickname or short form built on the element for “victory,” though some historical writers also linked it to other German roots.
The #1,674 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 14,336 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually treated as a German name, and older surname writers often connected it with the old Germanic element sig- meaning “victory.” In that view, Siegel would be a shortened or familiar form of a longer personal name built with that element, such as names related to Sigil- or Sig- forms. Some 19th-century sources also suggested other possibilities, including links to German words for a seal or seal-stamp, but those explanations are less secure and may reflect folk etymology.
History
The name appears in older German naming material alongside related forms such as Sigel, Sigle, Siegler, and Siegeln-type diminutives, showing that it belongs to a broad family of German surnames built from short personal-name stems. It is well established in German-speaking areas and later appears in English-language records through immigration. In the modern United States it is carried by a modest but recognizable number of families, often of German Jewish or general German heritage.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Several older surname dictionaries grouped Siegel with names derived from the old Germanic victory-root sig-, which is the same element found in classic names like Siegfried.
From the historical record
“p.n. (victory sport). See Silcock S Sill. A.S. Sil ; D. Sillo ; A. Sillow FI. Siegel; G. Siele, Sille; Del ' Siehl ; p.n. Sigel (the sun) Sillett. See Sillitoe Sillis. From Seilles ; a loc. n Is Belg. Dch. Silles ; p.n.”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)