2000
#9,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,335
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.24
Rare Last name
Sin
A Chinese surname derived from the state of Sin in the Zhou dynasty, or referring to the god of the wind.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,278 Americans carry the last name Sin. That puts it at #8,485 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,120 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sin 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 Sin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 80,120
Census rank
#8,485
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,731 bearers of the surname Sin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8485th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sin, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sin
The surname Sin is believed to have originated in China, where it is a common family name with a long history dating back centuries. The name Sin is derived from the Chinese characters 辛 (xīn), which has various meanings including "bitter," "arduous," "laborious," and "hard work."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Sin can be found in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 CE) text "Yuan Shi" (History of the Yuan Dynasty), which mentions individuals with the surname Sin who held official positions during that era. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE), the surname Sin was particularly prevalent in the regions of Guangdong, Fujian, and Zhejiang provinces.
In the 14th century, a prominent figure named Sin Sukju (1314-1395) from Shandong Province served as a high-ranking official and scholar during the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties. Another notable individual was Sin Guanren (1513-1599), a renowned philosopher, poet, and calligrapher from Zhejiang Province during the Ming Dynasty.
The surname Sin has also been associated with various place names in China, such as Sin County in Hebei Province and Sin Village in Guangdong Province. These place names may have influenced the spread and adoption of the surname Sin in those regions.
During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE), a famous general named Sin Renmei (601-680) played a crucial role in suppressing the Xuanwu Uprising, earning him recognition and likely contributing to the prominence of the surname Sin during that period.
Another historical figure bearing the surname Sin was Sin Guiyuan (1002-1060), a renowned scholar and official who served as the Grand Chancellor during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE). His works on Confucian philosophy and literature were highly influential and helped establish the reputation of the Sin family name.
It is important to note that while the surname Sin has a long history in China, its prevalence and distribution may have varied across different regions and time periods, reflecting the complex cultural and demographic changes that have shaped the country over centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sin
Among Census respondents with the surname Sin, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Sin 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 Sin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander88.9% · 3,318
- White3.7% · 137
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 134
- Two or more races2.9% · 109
- Black or African American0.8% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sin
Sin 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
#8,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,725
+390 bearers (+11.7%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Up 214 places
2020
#8,485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,731
+6 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Up 312 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,011 | 3,335 | 1.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,797 | 3,725 | 1.26 | +390 bearers (+11.7%) | Up 214 places |
| 2020 | #8,485 | 3,731 | 1.25 | +6 bearers (+0.2%) | Up 312 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 Sin 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 | #8,797 | #8,485 | 3.5% |
| Count | 3,725 | 3,731 | 0.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.25 | -0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sin bearers went from 3,725 to 3,731 (+0.2% change). The surname moved up 312 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,797 to #8,485.
FAQ
Sin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sin?
Name Census estimates that about 4,278 living Americans carry the surname Sin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,120 residents.
How common is Sin?
Sin ranks #8,485 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.25 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 3,731 people with the surname Sin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,278), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.25 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 Sin.
Has Sin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sin went from 3,725 recorded bearers to 3,731. That is an increase of 6 (+0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,797 to #8,485.
What does the Census say about the background of Sin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sin, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (3,318 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (88.9%), White (3.7%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Sin (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 Sin mean?
A Chinese surname derived from the state of Sin in the Zhou dynasty, or referring to the god of the wind. 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 Sin (1.25 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 Sin?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.