2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sillitoe
A locational surname derived from a place name in Nottinghamshire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Sillitoe. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sillitoe 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 Sillitoe with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Sillitoe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sillitoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sillitoe
The surname SILLITOE has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational surname, derived from the village of Sillitoein Leicestershire. The name is thought to have originated from the Old English words "syli" meaning "a miry place" and "hoh" meaning "a ridge or hill," suggesting that the name refers to a "miry ridge or hill."
The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Selitone." Over time, the name evolved into various spellings such as Syllitoe, Sillitowe, and eventually, Sillitoe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, dated 1273, where it is listed as "John de Sillitoe." This entry suggests that members of the Sillitoe family were already established in the region by the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Leicestershire, where it is recorded as "Thomas Syllytowe." This record provides evidence of the family's continued presence in the area from which the name originated.
Notable individuals with the surname Sillitoe include:
1. Alan Sillitoe (1928-2010), a renowned English novelist and poet, best known for his works such as "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning" and "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner."
2. Susan Sillitoe (1660-1718), an English poet and religious writer, known for her works on Quaker beliefs and practices.
3. Edward Sillitoe (1807-1884), a British entrepreneur and founder of the Sillitoe & Co. clothing company, which became renowned for its high-quality men's apparel.
4. John Sillitoe (1579-1663), an English clergyman and Puritan preacher, who served as the Rector of St. Giles-in-the-Fields in London during the 17th century.
5. Henry Sillitoe (1768-1828), an English businessman and philanthropist, who established the Sillitoe Charity Trust to support education and poverty relief in Nottinghamshire.
The name SILLITOE has a rich historical legacy, with its origins rooted in the medieval English countryside and its presence spanning various regions of England over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sillitoe
Among Census respondents with the surname Sillitoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sillitoe 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 Sillitoe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 99
- Two or more races5.4% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sillitoe
Sillitoe 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
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+4 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,963 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 3,963 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 Sillitoe 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 | #152,628 | #148,665 | 2.6% |
| Count | 107 | 111 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sillitoe bearers went from 107 to 111 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 3,963 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #148,665.
FAQ
Sillitoe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sillitoe?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Sillitoe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Sillitoe?
Sillitoe ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Sillitoe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Sillitoe.
Has Sillitoe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sillitoe went from 107 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 4 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Sillitoe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sillitoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Sillitoe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sillitoe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (5.4%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Sillitoe (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 Sillitoe mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in Nottinghamshire, 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 Sillitoe (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 common is the surname Sillitoe?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Sillitoe on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.