2000
#10,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,821
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Sidhu
A Punjabi surname derived from the Sanskrit word "siddha," meaning "one who is accomplished, perfect, or enlightened."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,628 Americans carry the last name Sidhu. That puts it at #5,104 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,934 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sidhu 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 Sidhu with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.6K
1 in 44,934
Census rank
#5,104
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,652 bearers of the surname Sidhu in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5104th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sidhu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sidhu
The surname Sidhu originated in the Punjab region of India, tracing its roots to the Sikh community. The name is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit word 'Siddha,' meaning a perfected or enlightened being. Alternatively, it may have stemmed from the word 'Sidh,' meaning accomplished or successful.
The earliest recorded instances of the Sidhu surname can be found in ancient Sikh manuscripts and historical texts dating back to the 15th century. One of the earliest known references is in the Hukamnamas, or the written instructions issued by the Sikh Gurus, where individuals with the Sidhu name are mentioned.
The Sidhu name has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest was Bhai Sidhu, a devoted follower of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Another prominent individual was Diwan Kaura Mall Sidhu, a renowned Sikh scholar and author who lived in the 18th century and contributed to the preservation of Sikh literature.
In the 19th century, Sardar Attar Singh Sidhu played a significant role in the Sikh Empire under the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He served as a distinguished military commander and was known for his bravery and leadership skills.
The Sidhu surname has also been associated with various place names in the Punjab region, such as the village of Sidhupur, which likely derived its name from the Sidhu community residing there. Additionally, the name has been spelled in various ways throughout history, including Sidhoo, Sidhue, and Sidhavi.
Prominent individuals with the Sidhu surname in more recent times include Navjot Singh Sidhu (born 1963), a former Indian cricketer and politician, and Shera Sidhu (born 1989), an Indian field hockey player who represented India in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sidhu
Among Census respondents with the surname Sidhu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Sidhu 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 Sidhu surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander90.0% · 5,990
- White3.4% · 223
- Two or more races3.3% · 221
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 185
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
- Black or African American0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sidhu
Sidhu 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
#6,987
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,795
+1,974 bearers (+70.0%)
Per 100,000 1.63
Rank movement Up 3,463 places
2020
#5,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,652
+1,857 bearers (+38.7%)
Per 100,000 2.23
Rank movement Up 1,883 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,450 | 2,821 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,987 | 4,795 | 1.63 | +1,974 bearers (+70.0%) | Up 3,463 places |
| 2020 | #5,104 | 6,652 | 2.23 | +1,857 bearers (+38.7%) | Up 1,883 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 Sidhu 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 | #6,987 | #5,104 | 27.0% |
| Count | 4,795 | 6,652 | 38.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.63 | 2.23 | 36.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sidhu bearers went from 4,795 to 6,652 (+38.7% change). The surname moved up 1,883 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,987 to #5,104.
FAQ
Sidhu surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sidhu?
Name Census estimates that about 7,628 living Americans carry the surname Sidhu. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,934 residents.
How common is Sidhu?
Sidhu ranks #5,104 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,652 people with the surname Sidhu. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,628), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Sidhu.
Has Sidhu become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sidhu went from 4,795 recorded bearers to 6,652. That is an increase of 1,857 (+38.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,987 to #5,104.
What does the Census say about the background of Sidhu?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sidhu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sidhu in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (5,990 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sidhu appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (90.0%), White (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Sidhu (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 Sidhu mean?
A Punjabi surname derived from the Sanskrit word "siddha," meaning "one who is accomplished, perfect, or enlightened." 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 Sidhu (2.23 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 are called Sidhu?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Sidhu on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.