2000
#1,787
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,430
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.83
Uncommon Last name
Sands
Derived from Old English, denoting someone who lived on sandy soil or near a sandy beach or shore.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,628 Americans carry the last name Sands. That puts it at #1,955 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,616 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sands 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sands with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,616
Census rank
#1,955
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,989 bearers of the surname Sands in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1955th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sands, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sands
The surname Sands is believed to have originated in England, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "sand," which refers to the loose granular material found on beaches and deserts. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a sandy area or worked with sand in some capacity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Sands can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, where a man named Robert de Sandes is mentioned. The prefix "de" in this spelling indicates that the name was likely a locational surname, referring to a particular place or settlement.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in various English records, including the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1316, where a William del Sandes is listed. The spelling "del" is another variation of the locational prefix, suggesting the name's geographical origins.
The Sands surname is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327, where a John de Sandes is recorded. This document was a tax roll, indicating that the Sands family had established themselves as landowners or members of the gentry by that time.
One notable figure with the surname Sands was James Sands (1622-1695), an English merchant and philosopher born in Worcestershire. He is known for his work "An Explanation of the Excellent Fable of the Falcon," which explored the philosophical principles of government and society.
Another historically significant individual was Samuel Sands (1636-1685), an English Puritan minister and writer who was ejected from his living after the Act of Uniformity in 1662. He is remembered for his religious works and his opposition to the established Church of England.
In the 18th century, the Sands surname appears in various records, including the Berkshire Marriage Indexes, which mention a John Sands marrying Mary Turrell in 1733. This suggests that the name had spread across different regions of England by that time.
Robert Charles Sands (1799-1832) was a notable American writer and editor from New York City. He co-founded the literary magazine "The Atlantic Souvenir" and was part of the Knickerbocker Group of writers, which included Washington Irving and James Fenimore Cooper.
Lastly, Benjamin Franklin Sands (1811-1883) was an American physician and educator from Baltimore, Maryland. He served as the president of the American Medical Association and was a professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, making significant contributions to the field of medical education.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sands
Among Census respondents with the surname Sands, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sands 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 Sands surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.5% · 13,766
- Black or African American12.9% · 2,328
- Two or more races4.5% · 806
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 731
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 218
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 140
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sands
Sands 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
#1,944
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,584
+154 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 6.30
Rank movement Down 157 places
2020
#1,955
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,989
-595 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 6.02
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,787 | 18,430 | 6.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,944 | 18,584 | 6.30 | +154 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 157 places |
| 2020 | #1,955 | 17,989 | 6.02 | -595 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 11 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 Sands 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 | #1,944 | #1,955 | -0.6% |
| Count | 18,584 | 17,989 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 6.30 | 6.02 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sands bearers went from 18,584 to 17,989 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,944 to #1,955.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sands
FAQ
Sands surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sands?
Name Census estimates that about 20,628 living Americans carry the surname Sands. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,616 residents.
How common is Sands?
Sands ranks #1,955 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,989 people with the surname Sands. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,628), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Sands.
Has Sands become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sands went from 18,584 recorded bearers to 17,989. That is a decrease of 595 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,944 to #1,955.
What does the Census say about the background of Sands?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sands, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Sands in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.5% (13,766 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sands appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.5%), Black (12.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Sands (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 Sands mean?
Derived from Old English, denoting someone who lived on sandy soil or near a sandy beach or 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 Sands (6.02 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 have the last name Sands?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Sands on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.