Siegel, is a German and Jewish surname. it can be traced to 11th century Bavaria and was used by people who made wax seals for or sealed official documents (each such male being described as a Siegelbeamter). Alternate spellings include Sigel, Sigl, Siegl, and others. "Siegel" is also the modern German word for seal. The name ultimately derives from the Latin sigillum, meaning "seal" as in the "Seal of the City of New York": "Sigillum Civitatis Novi Eboraci." The Germanicized derivative of the name was given to professional seal makers and engravers. Some researchers have attributed the surname to Sigel, referring to Sól (Sun), the goddess of the sun in Germanic mythology (Siȝel or sigel in Old English / Anglo-Saxon), but that is highly speculative.
Variants, and false cognates
Variants may routinely include Siegel, Siegle, Sigl and Sigel (and presumably some bearers of these names are lineal descendants of ethnic Jews who changed the spellings of their surnames in the course of assimilating among other cultures: "Segal" and "Segel" are false cognates to Siegel, usually having deriving from a quite different root.) Most sources indicate that it derives from a Hebrew acronym the abbreviated form of Sagan Gadol ha-Leviya, which means Great assistant to the Levites, and is an honorific title bestowed upon a member of the tribe of Levi who performs synagogue duties faithfully. (Some Rabbis aver that Segal/Segall derives from the Hebrew s'gula, meaning "treasure." However, this would not explain the association of the name only with the tribe of Levi.) Further, the double-L in Segall seems to be a specifically Rumanian (language) spelling variant.
Siegel
- Bernard Siegel (1868–1940), Austro-Hungarian born American character actor
- Bernard Siegel, American attorney
- Bernie S. Siegel (born 1932), American writer and retired pediatric surgeon
- Bugsy Siegel (1906–1947), American mobster
- Carl Ludwig Siegel (1896–1981), German mathematician
- David Siegel (disambiguation)
- Denise Siegel, American visual artist
- Don Siegel, American film and television director and producer
- Dora Siegel (1912-2003), birth name of Dora Gad, Israeli interior designer
- Jeremy Siegel (born 1945), Professor of Finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, author and commentator
- Jerry Siegel (1914–1996), one of the creators of Superman
- Larry Siegel (1925-2019), American comedy writer
- Mark Siegel (born 1967), American graphic novel author and publisher
- Max Siegel, corporate CEO
- Ralph Siegel (born 1945), German record producer and songwriter
- Ralph Siegel (scientist) (1958–2011), American neuroscientist
- Rick Siegel, Talent Agent
- Robert Siegel, Host of NPR's All Things Considered
- Shepard Siegel, Canadian psychologist
- Sol C. Siegel (1903–1982), American reporter and film producer
- Stephen Siegel (born 1944), Chairman of CB Richard Ellis
- Steven Siegel (born 1953), American sculptor
- William Siegel (born 1905), American graphic artist
Siegal
- Ian Siegal, British blues singer and guitarist
- Justine Siegal, American baseball coach and sports educator
Sigl
- Georg Sigl (1811-1887), Austrian mechanical engineer and entrepreneur
- Robert Sigl, (born 1962), German filmmaker
- Rudi Sigl (born 1937), German sport shooter
- Wolfgang Sigl (born 1972), Austrian rower
See also
- Chagall (disambiguation)
- Segal
- Sigel rune
- Siegel, Iowa, a ghost town