Find out how popular the last name Sibley is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sibley.

Sibley, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sibley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sibley in America

Sibley is the 3742nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sibley surname appeared 9,467 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Sibley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sibley to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Sibley

The surname Sibley is of English origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "sib" meaning "kinsman" and "leah" meaning "meadow" or "clearing". The name likely refers to a meadow or clearing where kinsmen or relatives lived.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Sibley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Sibelai". This entry suggests that the name was already in use during the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century.

The name Sibley is also closely associated with the village of Sibley in Leicestershire, England. This village was originally called "Sibbesleye" in the 13th century, further reinforcing the connection between the surname and the Old English words it is derived from.

One notable bearer of the Sibley surname was Samuel Sibley (1805-1873), an American industrialist and founder of the Sibley Manufacturing Company, which produced textile machinery in Massachusetts. Another prominent figure was John Langdon Sibley (1804-1885), an American librarian and historian who served as the librarian of Harvard College.

In the literary world, Celestine Sibley (1914-1999) was an American writer and journalist best known for her columns in the Atlanta Constitution newspaper. Her memoir, "Mothers and Daughters", published in 1976, received critical acclaim.

Ralph Henry Barbour Sibley (1898-1975) was a British diplomat and author who served as the British Ambassador to Japan from 1952 to 1957. He also wrote several books about his experiences in Japan.

Hiram Sibley (1807-1888) was an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Western Union Telegraph Company. He played a crucial role in the development of the telegraph industry in the United States.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Sibley, which has its roots in the meadows and clearings of medieval England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sibley

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sibley.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sibley was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sibley has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sibley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sibley, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!