2000
#25,448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 913
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.34
Rare Last name
Sibrian
A habitational surname for someone from the Sibrian region of France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,121 Americans carry the last name Sibrian. That puts it at #15,281 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,600 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sibrian 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
2.1K
1 in 161,600
Census rank
#15,281
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,850 bearers of the surname Sibrian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15281st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sibrian, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Black (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sibrian
The surname Sibrian is believed to have originated in the mountainous regions of northern Spain, specifically in the autonomous communities of Asturias and Cantabria. Its roots can be traced back to the early Middle Ages, around the 8th to 10th centuries.
One of the earliest known references to the name Sibrian appears in the Codex Aemilianensis, an ancient manuscript from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain, dated around the 11th century. This codex contains a list of landowners and their properties, where the name "Sibrianus" is mentioned.
The name Sibrian is believed to have derived from the Latin word "sibilus," meaning "whistling" or "hissing." This could suggest that the name was initially a descriptive surname given to someone who whistled or made a hissing sound. Alternatively, it may have been derived from the Latin word "sibilis," meaning "of the mountain," which would align with the name's origins in the mountainous regions of northern Spain.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Pedro Sibrian was mentioned in the Anales Compostelanos, a historical chronicle from the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. This record suggests that the Sibrian surname had spread beyond its original regions by that time.
During the 15th century, Juan Sibrian (c. 1420-1490) was a renowned poet and scholar from Zaragoza, Aragon. His works, including a collection of poetry titled "Cancionero de Juan Sibrian," have been preserved and studied by literary scholars.
Another notable bearer of the Sibrian surname was Diego Sibrian (c. 1550-1620), a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his famous voyage around the world in the early 16th century. Sibrian played a crucial role in navigating the fleet through the treacherous Strait of Magellan.
In the 17th century, María Sibrian (c. 1625-1695) was a prominent figure in the Spanish Golden Age of art. She was a celebrated painter known for her religious works and portraits, many of which can be found in churches and museums throughout Spain.
Lastly, the Sibrian surname was also carried by Andrés Sibrian (c. 1780-1855), a Spanish military officer who fought in the Peninsular War against Napoleonic France. He rose to the rank of general and played a significant role in several battles during that conflict.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sibrian
Among Census respondents with the surname Sibrian, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Black (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sibrian 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 Sibrian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino96.2% · 1,779
- White3.2% · 59
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 3
- Two or more races0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sibrian
Sibrian 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
#17,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,621
+708 bearers (+77.5%)
Per 100,000 0.55
Rank movement Up 8,042 places
2020
#15,281
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,850
+229 bearers (+14.1%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 2,125 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,448 | 913 | 0.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,406 | 1,621 | 0.55 | +708 bearers (+77.5%) | Up 8,042 places |
| 2020 | #15,281 | 1,850 | 0.62 | +229 bearers (+14.1%) | Up 2,125 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 Sibrian 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 | #17,406 | #15,281 | 12.2% |
| Count | 1,621 | 1,850 | 14.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.55 | 0.62 | 12.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sibrian bearers went from 1,621 to 1,850 (+14.1% change). The surname moved up 2,125 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,406 to #15,281.
FAQ
Sibrian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sibrian?
Name Census estimates that about 2,121 living Americans carry the surname Sibrian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,600 residents.
How common is Sibrian?
Sibrian ranks #15,281 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,850 people with the surname Sibrian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,121), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Sibrian.
Has Sibrian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sibrian went from 1,621 recorded bearers to 1,850. That is an increase of 229 (+14.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,406 to #15,281.
What does the Census say about the background of Sibrian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sibrian, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Black (0.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sibrian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (1,779 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sibrian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (96.2%), White (3.2%), Black (0.4%). 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 Sibrian (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 Sibrian mean?
A habitational surname for someone from the Sibrian region of France. 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 Sibrian (0.62 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 Sibrian?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.