2000
#10,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,755
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Sidwell
Derived from an English place name meaning "wide spring" or "wide stream," likely referring to a nearby water source.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,009 Americans carry the last name Sidwell. That puts it at #11,480 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,910 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sidwell 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 Sidwell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 113,910
Census rank
#11,480
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,624 bearers of the surname Sidwell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11480th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sidwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sidwell
The surname Sidwell is believed to have originated in England. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "sid," meaning wide or large, and "well," referring to a spring or stream. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a large well or stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Siduuelle." This entry likely refers to a place name rather than a surname, as hereditary surnames were not widely used until after the Norman Conquest.
By the 13th century, the name had evolved to its modern spelling of "Sidwell." In 1273, a William Sidwell was listed in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire. This is one of the earliest known examples of the surname being used by an individual.
During the Middle Ages, the Sidwell family seemed to have been concentrated in the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire. The name appears in various records from these areas, such as the Somerset Feet of Fines from 1330, which mentions a John Sidwell.
A notable bearer of the name was Sir Ralph Sidwell, a 15th-century English knight and landowner. He was born around 1420 in Gloucestershire and served as a Member of Parliament for the county in 1472.
Another prominent figure was Henry Sidwell, a 16th-century Anglican clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Taunton from 1567 until his death in 1598. He played a role in the religious reforms of the Elizabethan era.
In the 17th century, Thomas Sidwell (1624-1679) was a prominent English Puritan minister and author. He served as the rector of St. Olave's Church in London and wrote several religious works.
The Sidwell name also spread to other parts of England, as evidenced by the birth of Richard Sidwell in Yorkshire in 1698. He later became a successful merchant and landowner in the area.
One of the more notable figures in the 19th century was William Sidwell (1815-1890), a British architect and surveyor. He was responsible for designing several public buildings and churches in London and the surrounding areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sidwell
Among Census respondents with the surname Sidwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sidwell 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 Sidwell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 2,393
- Two or more races3.5% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 76
- Black or African American1.9% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sidwell
Sidwell 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
#11,500
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,736
-19 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 843 places
2020
#11,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,624
-112 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Up 20 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,657 | 2,755 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,500 | 2,736 | 0.93 | -19 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 843 places |
| 2020 | #11,480 | 2,624 | 0.88 | -112 bearers (-4.1%) | Up 20 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 Sidwell 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 | #11,500 | #11,480 | 0.2% |
| Count | 2,736 | 2,624 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.88 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sidwell bearers went from 2,736 to 2,624 (-4.1% change). The surname moved up 20 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,500 to #11,480.
FAQ
Sidwell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sidwell?
Name Census estimates that about 3,009 living Americans carry the surname Sidwell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,910 residents.
How common is Sidwell?
Sidwell ranks #11,480 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,624 people with the surname Sidwell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,009), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Sidwell.
Has Sidwell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sidwell went from 2,736 recorded bearers to 2,624. That is a decrease of 112 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,500 to #11,480.
What does the Census say about the background of Sidwell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sidwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Sidwell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (2,393 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sidwell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Sidwell (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 Sidwell mean?
Derived from an English place name meaning "wide spring" or "wide stream," likely referring to a nearby water source. 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 Sidwell (0.88 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 have the surname Sidwell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.