2000
#34,210
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 627
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Very Rare Last name
Sigg
A Swiss surname referring to someone who sealed or made water canteens.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 803 Americans carry the last name Sigg. That puts it at #34,781 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 426,842 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sigg 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
803
1 in 426,842
Census rank
#34,781
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
700
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 700 bearers of the surname Sigg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34781st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sigg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sigg
The surname SIGG is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the southwestern regions of present-day Germany, particularly in the states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.
One of the earliest known records of the name SIGG can be found in the Codex Traditiones Wizenburgenses, a collection of documents from the Wissembourg Abbey in Alsace, dating back to the 7th century. The name is thought to have derived from the Old High German word "sig," meaning victory or triumph.
During the Middle Ages, the SIGG name appeared in various historical documents, including land deeds and municipal records. One notable individual bearing this surname was Johannes Sigg, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Ravensburg in the 15th century.
As the SIGG family spread across different regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Sigge, Siege, and Sieg. Some of these variations were influenced by local dialects and geographical locations, like the place name Siegen in North Rhine-Westphalia.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the SIGG surname was Matthias Sigg, a Lutheran theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Germany. He was born in Nuremberg in 1520 and died in Strasbourg in 1587.
Another prominent individual was Johann Heinrich Sigg, a Swiss painter and engraver who lived from 1659 to 1730. He was known for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting scenes from Switzerland and Italy.
During the 19th century, the SIGG name gained recognition through the work of Jakob Sigg, a Swiss industrialist and inventor who founded the Sigg company in 1908. The company became renowned for its production of high-quality aluminum bottles and containers.
One of the most famous bearers of the SIGG name in modern times was Hans Sigg, a Swiss diplomat and United Nations official. Born in 1918, he served as the High Commissioner for Refugees from 1960 to 1965 and played a crucial role in addressing refugee crises around the world.
Throughout its history, the SIGG surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, theologians, artists, industrialists, and diplomats. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, the name has since spread and gained recognition in other parts of Europe, particularly in Switzerland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sigg
Among Census respondents with the surname Sigg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Sigg 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 Sigg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 640
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 31
- Two or more races3.3% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sigg
Sigg 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
#33,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 681
+54 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Up 711 places
2020
#34,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 700
+19 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 1,282 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,210 | 627 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #33,499 | 681 | 0.23 | +54 bearers (+8.6%) | Up 711 places |
| 2020 | #34,781 | 700 | 0.23 | +19 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 1,282 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 Sigg 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 | #33,499 | #34,781 | -3.8% |
| Count | 681 | 700 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.23 | 0.23 | 1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sigg bearers went from 681 to 700 (+2.8% change). The surname moved down 1,282 positions in the national ranking, going from #33,499 to #34,781.
FAQ
Sigg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sigg?
Name Census estimates that about 803 living Americans carry the surname Sigg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 426,842 residents.
How common is Sigg?
Sigg ranks #34,781 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 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 700 people with the surname Sigg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (803), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 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 Sigg.
Has Sigg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sigg went from 681 recorded bearers to 700. That is an increase of 19 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #33,499 to #34,781.
What does the Census say about the background of Sigg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sigg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sigg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (640 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sigg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (4.4%), 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 Sigg (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 Sigg mean?
A Swiss surname referring to someone who sealed or made water canteens. 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 Sigg (0.23 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 have the surname Sigg?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.