2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Sifton
A locative surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone from Sifton, Staffordshire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Sifton. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sifton 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Sifton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sifton, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sifton
The surname SIFTON has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the late medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "syftan," which means "to sift" or "to separate." This surname was likely given to someone who worked as a sieve maker or a miller, responsible for sifting and separating grains.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SIFTON name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the year 1296, where a person named John de Syfton is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the end of the 13th century in Scotland.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the SIFTON surname was predominantly concentrated in the counties of Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, and Lanarkshire in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. The name was also found in various spellings, such as Siftoun, Syfton, and Siftone, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
One notable person with the SIFTON surname was Sir Archibald Sifton (1619-1679), a Scottish landowner and member of the Parliament of Scotland. He played a significant role in the religious and political affairs of his time.
In the 18th century, the SIFTON family began to migrate to North America, with some members settling in Canada and the United States. One of the earliest recorded SIFTON immigrants was William Sifton, who arrived in New York City in 1774.
Another prominent figure with the SIFTON name was Sir Clifford Sifton (1861-1929), a Canadian politician and lawyer. He served as the Minister of the Interior in the Cabinet of Sir Wilfrid Laurier and played a crucial role in promoting immigration to Western Canada.
Other notable individuals with the SIFTON surname include John Sifton (1839-1917), a Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, and Arthur Sifton (1853-1921), a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the Premier of Alberta.
Throughout its history, the SIFTON surname has been associated with various professions, such as millers, landowners, politicians, lawyers, and businessmen, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who have carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sifton
Among Census respondents with the surname Sifton, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sifton 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 Sifton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.8% · 103
- Two or more races9.2% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sifton
Sifton appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+19 bearers (+18.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 17,663 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +19 bearers (+18.8%) | Up 17,663 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 Sifton 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 | #159,712 | #142,049 | 11.1% |
| Count | 101 | 120 | 18.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 33.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sifton bearers went from 101 to 120 (+18.8% change). The surname moved up 17,663 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #142,049.
FAQ
Sifton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sifton?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Sifton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Sifton?
Sifton ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Sifton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Sifton.
Has Sifton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sifton went from 101 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 19 (+18.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Sifton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sifton, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Sifton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sifton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.8%), Two or More Races (9.2%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Sifton (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 Sifton mean?
A locative surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone from Sifton, Staffordshire, England. 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 Sifton (0.04 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 Sifton?
Find out how many people are called Sifton on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.