2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sandfer
A surname derived from the Old Norse words "sandr" (sand) and "fjara" (shore), referring to someone who lived near a sandy shore.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Sandfer. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sandfer 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Sandfer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sandfer, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sandfer
The surname SANDFER has its origins in the northern regions of England, first appearing around the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "sand" and "fær", which together referred to a sandy pathway or road. This suggests that the name may have originally been used as a locational surname, denoting someone who lived near or along a sandy path or trail.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname SANDFER can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dated 1273, where a Richard Sandfer is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Sandferby. The presence of the name in these medieval tax records indicates that the SANDFER family had already established themselves as a respected household in the region.
In the 14th century, the name appears in several other historical documents, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Lincolnshire (1327), where a William Sandfer is listed as a taxpayer. The surname is also found in the Court Rolls of Nottinghamshire (1381), mentioning a John Sandfer as a tenant farmer.
During the Tudor period, the SANDFER surname spread across various parts of England, with notable individuals bearing the name. One such example is Henry SANDFER (c. 1510-1587), a merchant and alderman in the city of London, who served as the Sheriff of London in 1557.
Another prominent figure was Elizabeth SANDFER (1586-1652), a noted Puritan writer and theologian, whose works on religious doctrine and moral teachings were widely circulated in the 17th century. Her brother, Thomas SANDFER (1592-1671), was a respected clergyman and author, serving as the Bishop of Lincoln from 1660 until his death.
In the 18th century, the SANDFER lineage branched out to include several notable military officers, such as Captain James SANDFER (1712-1784), who fought in the Seven Years' War, and Colonel William SANDFER (1745-1810), a veteran of the American Revolutionary War.
Over the centuries, variations in the spelling of the surname emerged, including Sandford, Sandforde, and Sandford-on-the-Mount, which was likely influenced by the place name of a particular location where SANDFER families resided.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sandfer
Among Census respondents with the surname Sandfer, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Sandfer 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 Sandfer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 6
- Black or African American3.3% · 4
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sandfer
Sandfer 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+9 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 749 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-6 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,186 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 749 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 8,186 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 Sandfer 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 | #133,863 | #142,049 | -6.1% |
| Count | 126 | 120 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sandfer bearers went from 126 to 120 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 8,186 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #142,049.
FAQ
Sandfer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sandfer?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Sandfer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Sandfer?
Sandfer ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Sandfer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Sandfer.
Has Sandfer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sandfer went from 126 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Sandfer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sandfer, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (3.3%). 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 Sandfer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sandfer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Hispanic (5.0%), Black (3.3%). 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 Sandfer (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 Sandfer mean?
A surname derived from the Old Norse words "sandr" (sand) and "fjara" (shore), referring to someone who lived near a sandy shore. 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 Sandfer (0.04 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 common is the surname Sandfer?
If you just want to know how many people are called Sandfer, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.