2000
#9,080
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,308
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.23
Rare Last name
Sill
Derived from Old Norse "sil," referring to a stream or brook, likely indicating someone who lived near one.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,535 Americans carry the last name Sill. That puts it at #9,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,960 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sill 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 Sill with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 96,960
Census rank
#9,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,083 bearers of the surname Sill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sill, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sill
The surname SILL is of English origin, emerging in the medieval period around the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "syll," meaning a threshold or the base of a doorway. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked on a threshold or doorway.
The earliest recorded instances of the name SILL can be found in various historical records from the 13th century onwards. For example, the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279, where it is recorded as "Sille." It is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, written as "Sylle."
In the Middle Ages, the SILL surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire, indicating that these areas may have been the original strongholds of the name. The name was also associated with certain place names, such as Silloth in Cumbria, which was derived from the Old Norse words "sill" (a causeway or pool) and "haugr" (a mound or hill).
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname SILL was Sir John Sill, who lived in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. He was a renowned English knight and landowner, holding estates in Gloucestershire. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Sill, a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the 16th century, born around 1510.
In the 17th century, the SILL surname gained prominence with the birth of Richard Sill (1609-1677), an English colonist and one of the founders of Windsor, Connecticut. His descendants played a significant role in the early history of the American colonies.
Other notable individuals with the SILL surname include John Sill (1638-1695), an English clergyman and author, and Thomas Sill (1701-1789), a prominent Philadelphia merchant and politician who served as the Mayor of Philadelphia from 1786 to 1788.
While the SILL surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand, through various waves of migration and settlement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sill
Among Census respondents with the surname Sill, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sill 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 Sill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 2,811
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 100
- Two or more races2.8% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 41
- Black or African American0.8% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sill
Sill 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
#9,568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,397
+89 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 488 places
2020
#9,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,083
-314 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 421 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,080 | 3,308 | 1.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,568 | 3,397 | 1.15 | +89 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 488 places |
| 2020 | #9,989 | 3,083 | 1.03 | -314 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 421 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 Sill 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 | #9,568 | #9,989 | -4.4% |
| Count | 3,397 | 3,083 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 1.03 | -10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sill bearers went from 3,397 to 3,083 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 421 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,568 to #9,989.
FAQ
Sill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sill?
Name Census estimates that about 3,535 living Americans carry the surname Sill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,960 residents.
How common is Sill?
Sill ranks #9,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 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 3,083 people with the surname Sill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,535), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 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 Sill.
Has Sill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sill went from 3,397 recorded bearers to 3,083. That is a decrease of 314 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,568 to #9,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Sill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sill, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Sill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (2,811 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Sill (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 Sill mean?
Derived from Old Norse "sil," referring to a stream or brook, likely indicating someone who lived near one. 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 Sill (1.03 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 share the surname Sill?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.