2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sardelis
An Assyrian surname meaning "fruit basket from heaven".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Sardelis. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sardelis 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Sardelis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sardelis, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sardelis
The surname Sardelis has its origins in Greece, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Greek word "sardeles," which means "sardines" or "small fish." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been fishermen or resided in coastal regions where sardine fishing was a prominent industry.
In the early records of the Greek islands, particularly in the Aegean Sea, variations of the name Sardelis can be found, such as Sardeles, Sardeli, and Sardelio. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and the influence of different languages spoken in the region over time.
One of the earliest documented references to the surname Sardelis can be found in a manuscript from the island of Naxos, dated around 1580. This document mentions a certain Petros Sardelis, who was a fisherman and landowner in a coastal village.
During the 17th century, the name Sardelis began to appear in records from other Greek islands, such as Crete and Rhodes. In 1654, a man named Ioannis Sardelis was recorded as a prominent merchant in the city of Rethymno, Crete.
In the 18th century, the Sardelis family gained prominence on the island of Syros. Nikolas Sardelis (1720-1789) was a respected shipowner and trader who played a significant role in the island's maritime economy.
As the Greek diaspora spread throughout Europe and beyond, the Sardelis surname traveled with them. In the late 19th century, Georgios Sardelis (1862-1927) was a renowned Greek scholar and linguist who taught at universities in Germany and Austria.
Another noteworthy figure was Eleni Sardelis (1890-1972), a Greek author and activist who advocated for women's rights and education. Her literary works often explored themes of social justice and empowerment.
In more recent times, Alexandros Sardelis (1924-2008) was a prominent Greek architect who designed several iconic buildings in Athens and other cities across Greece.
While the Sardelis surname has its roots in the Greek islands, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by generations of Greek immigrants and their descendants. However, the name's connection to the coastal regions and fishing traditions of its origin remains an intriguing part of its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sardelis
Among Census respondents with the surname Sardelis, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sardelis 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 Sardelis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sardelis
Sardelis appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,852 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 1,852 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 Sardelis 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 | #148,347 | #146,495 | 1.2% |
| Count | 111 | 114 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sardelis bearers went from 111 to 114 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 1,852 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #146,495.
FAQ
Sardelis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sardelis?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Sardelis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Sardelis?
Sardelis ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Sardelis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Sardelis.
Has Sardelis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sardelis went from 111 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Sardelis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sardelis, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Sardelis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sardelis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (6.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Sardelis (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 Sardelis mean?
An Assyrian surname meaning "fruit basket from heaven". 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 Sardelis (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 Sardelis?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Sardelis at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.