2000
#9,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Sickler
An occupational surname referring to someone who made or used sickles, a farming tool with a curved blade.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,478 Americans carry the last name Sickler. That puts it at #10,129 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,549 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sickler 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
3.5K
1 in 98,549
Census rank
#10,129
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,033 bearers of the surname Sickler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10129th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sickler, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sickler
The surname Sickler originated in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old German word "sickel," which referred to a small handheld farming tool similar to a sickle or scythe. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, given to those who worked as agricultural laborers or farmers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Sickler name can be found in the church records of the town of Darmstadt, in the German state of Hesse, where a man named Hans Sickler was documented in 1589. Additionally, in the nearby town of Mainz, there are records of a family with the surname Sickler living there in the early 17th century.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the Sickler name began to spread across various regions of Germany, with variations in spelling such as Sickeler, Sickeler, and Sickler being documented. In some areas, the name may have also been associated with certain place names or locations, further contributing to its regional variations.
One notable individual with the Sickler surname was Johann Sickler (1612-1687), a German Protestant theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Heidelberg. Another prominent figure was Friedrich Sickler (1773-1836), a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives.
In the 19th century, as many Germans began to emigrate to other parts of the world, the Sickler name also spread to other countries. For example, in the United States, there are records of a Johann Sickler (1821-1892) who was born in Germany and later settled in Pennsylvania, where he worked as a farmer.
Other notable individuals with the Sickler surname include Johann Sickler (1858-1932), a German-American artist and painter who was born in Germany but spent much of his life in New York City, and Wilhelm Sickler (1872-1945), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other German cities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sickler
Among Census respondents with the surname Sickler, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sickler 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 Sickler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 2,702
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 183
- Two or more races3.5% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 15
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sickler
Sickler 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
#9,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,514
+408 bearers (+13.1%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Up 338 places
2020
#10,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,033
-481 bearers (-13.7%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 864 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,603 | 3,106 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,265 | 3,514 | 1.19 | +408 bearers (+13.1%) | Up 338 places |
| 2020 | #10,129 | 3,033 | 1.01 | -481 bearers (-13.7%) | Down 864 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 Sickler 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 | #9,265 | #10,129 | -9.3% |
| Count | 3,514 | 3,033 | -13.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.19 | 1.01 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sickler bearers went from 3,514 to 3,033 (-13.7% change). The surname moved down 864 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,265 to #10,129.
FAQ
Sickler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sickler?
Name Census estimates that about 3,478 living Americans carry the surname Sickler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,549 residents.
How common is Sickler?
Sickler ranks #10,129 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 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 3,033 people with the surname Sickler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,478), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 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 Sickler.
Has Sickler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sickler went from 3,514 recorded bearers to 3,033. That is a decrease of 481 (-13.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,265 to #10,129.
What does the Census say about the background of Sickler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sickler, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Sickler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (2,702 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sickler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Hispanic (6.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Sickler (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 Sickler mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who made or used sickles, a farming tool with a curved blade. 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 Sickler (1.01 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 Sickler?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Sickler on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.