2000
#13,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,028
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Cyphers
A toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "dweller at the well," likely of Anglo-Saxon origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,217 Americans carry the last name Cyphers. That puts it at #14,748 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,603 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cyphers surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 154,603
Census rank
#14,748
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,933 bearers of the surname Cyphers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14748th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cyphers, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cyphers
The surname Cyphers is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "ciferan" which means "to buy or trade". It is believed to have originated in the 12th century, during the time of the Norman Conquest, when many new surnames were adopted by the English people.
The name is thought to have initially been used as an occupational surname for someone who was involved in buying and selling goods, likely a merchant or trader. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195, where it appeared as "Willelmus Cyphare".
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are references to several places that may have been the origin of the surname, such as Chivers in Essex and Chiverton in Devonshire. These place names were derived from the Old English words "cifer" and "tun", meaning "trader's town".
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Cyphers was Robert Cyphers, who was born in Gloucestershire, England in 1520. He was a successful merchant and landowner, and his family's coat of arms featured three gold cyphers on a blue field.
Another notable figure was Sir John Cyphers (1604-1679), a Member of Parliament for the county of Oxfordshire during the English Civil War. He was a staunch supporter of the Parliamentarian cause and played a role in the trial and execution of King Charles I.
In the 18th century, the Cyphers family established themselves in the United States, with several members settling in Pennsylvania and Maryland. One of the most prominent was William Cyphers (1753-1833), a Revolutionary War soldier who fought in the Battle of Trenton and the Battle of Monmouth.
During the 19th century, the surname Cyphers was also found in Scotland, with James Cyphers (1819-1892) being a well-known Scottish author and poet. He wrote several books on Scottish history and culture, including "The Ballads of Scotland" and "The Legends of the Scottish Highlands".
Another notable figure was Mary Cyphers (1845-1923), an American educator and activist who fought for women's rights and the abolition of slavery. She was a close friend of Susan B. Anthony and was actively involved in the women's suffrage movement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cyphers
Among Census respondents with the surname Cyphers, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Cyphers bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cyphers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.3% · 1,572
- Black or African American8.5% · 165
- Two or more races4.6% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cyphers
Cyphers appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#14,474
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,063
+35 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 762 places
2020
#14,748
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,933
-130 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 274 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,712 | 2,028 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,474 | 2,063 | 0.70 | +35 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 762 places |
| 2020 | #14,748 | 1,933 | 0.65 | -130 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 274 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cyphers surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,474 | #14,748 | -1.9% |
| Count | 2,063 | 1,933 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.65 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cyphers bearers went from 2,063 to 1,933 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 274 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,474 to #14,748.
FAQ
Cyphers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cyphers?
Name Census estimates that about 2,217 living Americans carry the surname Cyphers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,603 residents.
How common is Cyphers?
Cyphers ranks #14,748 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,933 people with the surname Cyphers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,217), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cyphers.
Has Cyphers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cyphers went from 2,063 recorded bearers to 1,933. That is a decrease of 130 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,474 to #14,748.
What does the Census say about the background of Cyphers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cyphers, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cyphers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.3% (1,572 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cyphers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.3%), Black (8.5%), Two or More Races (4.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cyphers (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cyphers mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "dweller at the well," likely of Anglo-Saxon origin. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cyphers (0.65 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Cyphers?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.