2000
#1,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,014
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.64
Uncommon Last name
Sinclair
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "saint" and "clear," referring to a holy place with clear water.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 31,360 Americans carry the last name Sinclair. That puts it at #1,261 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,930 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sinclair 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 Sinclair with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
31K
1 in 10,930
Census rank
#1,261
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
27K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 27,347 bearers of the surname Sinclair in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1261st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sinclair, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.7%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sinclair
The surname Sinclair has its origins in France, deriving from the Latin place name "Sanctus Clarus" meaning "holy bright place." It is believed to have been brought to England during the Norman Conquest in the 11th century.
The name first emerged in northern England and southern Scotland, particularly in the Northumberland and Lothian regions. It is thought to be associated with the village of Sinclair in Berwickshire, located near the Scottish-English border.
One of the earliest known references to the name is in the Domesday Book, a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name is listed as "Sancto Claro," indicating its Norman-French origins.
The Sinclair family rose to prominence in Scotland during the 12th century, with William de Sancto Claro (born circa 1120) being granted lands in Roslin, Midlothian. His descendants adopted the name Sinclair and became influential barons in the region.
Notable individuals with the Sinclair surname include Sir Henry Sinclair (1345-1400), a Scottish nobleman and explorer who may have travelled to North America before Christopher Columbus. Another is George Sinclair (1630-1696), a Scottish mathematician and professor at the University of Glasgow.
Arthur Sinclair (1794-1862) was a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars, while Sir Archibald Sinclair (1890-1970) was a British politician and Secretary of State for Air during World War II.
Upton Sinclair (1878-1968), an American author and political activist, is perhaps the most famous bearer of the name. He won the Pulitzer Prize for the novel "Dragon's Teeth" in 1942 and is best known for his muckraking novel "The Jungle," which exposed the horrific conditions in the meatpacking industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sinclair
Among Census respondents with the surname Sinclair, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.7%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sinclair 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 Sinclair surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.0% · 19,140
- Black or African American19.7% · 5,381
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 1,300
- Two or more races4.0% · 1,082
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 260
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 184
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sinclair
Sinclair 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
#1,290
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,243
+1,229 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 9.24
Rank movement Down 51 places
2020
#1,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,347
+104 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 9.15
Rank movement Up 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,239 | 26,014 | 9.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,290 | 27,243 | 9.24 | +1,229 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 51 places |
| 2020 | #1,261 | 27,347 | 9.15 | +104 bearers (+0.4%) | Up 29 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 Sinclair 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 | #1,290 | #1,261 | 2.2% |
| Count | 27,243 | 27,347 | 0.4% |
| Per 100K | 9.24 | 9.15 | -1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sinclair bearers went from 27,243 to 27,347 (+0.4% change). The surname moved up 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,290 to #1,261.
FAQ
Sinclair surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sinclair?
Name Census estimates that about 31,360 living Americans carry the surname Sinclair. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,930 residents.
How common is Sinclair?
Sinclair ranks #1,261 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 27,347 people with the surname Sinclair. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (31,360), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Sinclair.
Has Sinclair become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sinclair went from 27,243 recorded bearers to 27,347. That is an increase of 104 (+0.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,290 to #1,261.
What does the Census say about the background of Sinclair?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sinclair, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.7%) and Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Sinclair in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.0% (19,140 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sinclair appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.0%), Black (19.7%), Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Sinclair (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 Sinclair mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "saint" and "clear," referring to a holy place with clear water. 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 Sinclair (9.15 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 Sinclair?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Sinclair at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.