2000
#396
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 72,642
First available Census row
Per 100,000 26.93
Common Last name
Singh
A surname of Indian origin, meaning "lion" or "warrior," often associated with the Sikh religion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 187,618 Americans carry the last name Singh. That puts it at #156 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 54.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,827 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Singh 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 Singh with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
188K
1 in 1,827
Census rank
#156
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
54.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
164K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 163,612 bearers of the surname Singh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 54.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Singh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Black (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Singh
The surname Singh has its origins in the northern Indian subcontinent, particularly in the Punjab region. It is a title derived from the Sanskrit word 'Simha', which means lion. The name first emerged around the 16th century during the reign of the Mughal Empire in India.
Singh was initially adopted as a title by the Sikhs, who were followers of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. The title was bestowed upon those who embraced the Sikh way of life, symbolizing courage, strength, and spiritual enlightenment. Over time, Singh became a hereditary surname within the Sikh community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Singh can be found in the writings of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and last human Guru of the Sikhs, who lived from 1666 to 1708. He decreed that all Sikh men should adopt the surname Singh as a mark of their identity and commitment to the Sikh faith.
Notable figures who bore the surname Singh include Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the powerful ruler of the Sikh Empire in the early 19th century, who consolidated and expanded his territories across the Punjab region. Another prominent figure was Bhagat Singh, a revolutionary socialist and influential figure in India's struggle for independence from British rule, who lived from 1907 to 1931.
Among the Sikh gurus, Guru Arjan Singh, the fifth Sikh Guru (1563-1606), and Guru Tegh Bahadur Singh, the ninth Sikh Guru (1621-1675), were instrumental in shaping the Sikh faith and its teachings.
Beyond the Sikh community, the name Singh has also been adopted by other communities in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the northern regions. Prominent figures with the surname Singh include Jai Singh II, a Rajput king and mathematician from the early 18th century, known for his contributions to astronomy and the construction of the Jantar Mantar observatories.
While the surname Singh has its roots in the Indian subcontinent, it has now spread globally due to migration and the Sikh diaspora. However, its historical significance remains closely tied to the Sikh faith and the valor and courage associated with the lion.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Singh
Among Census respondents with the surname Singh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Black (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Singh 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 Singh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander85.3% · 139,576
- White4.7% · 7,610
- Black or African American3.5% · 5,665
- Two or more races3.4% · 5,515
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 3,712
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1,534
Timeline
Historical Census data for Singh
Singh 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
#260
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116,749
+44,107 bearers (+60.7%)
Per 100,000 39.58
Rank movement Up 136 places
2020
#156
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 163,612
+46,863 bearers (+40.1%)
Per 100,000 54.74
Rank movement Up 104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #396 | 72,642 | 26.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #260 | 116,749 | 39.58 | +44,107 bearers (+60.7%) | Up 136 places |
| 2020 | #156 | 163,612 | 54.74 | +46,863 bearers (+40.1%) | Up 104 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 Singh 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 | #260 | #156 | 40.0% |
| Count | 116,749 | 163,612 | 40.1% |
| Per 100K | 39.58 | 54.74 | 38.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Singh bearers went from 116,749 to 163,612 (+40.1% change). The surname moved up 104 positions in the national ranking, going from #260 to #156.
FAQ
Singh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Singh?
Name Census estimates that about 187,618 living Americans carry the surname Singh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,827 residents.
How common is Singh?
Singh ranks #156 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 54.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 55 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 163,612 people with the surname Singh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (187,618), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 54.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 54.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 55 of them to have the surname Singh.
Has Singh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Singh went from 116,749 recorded bearers to 163,612. That is an increase of 46,863 (+40.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #260 to #156.
What does the Census say about the background of Singh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Singh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Black (3.5%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Singh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (139,576 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Singh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (85.3%), White (4.7%), Black (3.5%). 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 Singh (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 Singh mean?
A surname of Indian origin, meaning "lion" or "warrior," often associated with the Sikh religion. 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 Singh (54.74 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 Singh?
See how common the surname Singh is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.