2000
#2,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,979
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.81
Uncommon Last name
Singletary
Derived from a place name meaning "singer's tree," likely referring to a tree where minstrels would perform.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,764 Americans carry the last name Singletary. That puts it at #2,729 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,216 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Singletary 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.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,216
Census rank
#2,729
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,875 bearers of the surname Singletary in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2729th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Singletary, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.5%. The next largest groups are White (42.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Singletary
The surname Singletary is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "singal" meaning "single" or "unmarried." It is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century as a descriptive surname given to individuals who were unmarried or lived alone.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which mentions a John Sengeltre. This variation in spelling was common in medieval times due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
In the 14th century, the surname Singletary appeared in various forms, such as Syngelton, Syngleton, and Syngiltone, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling. These variations can be found in various historical records, including the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire from 1332 and the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379.
The name is also associated with certain place names, such as Singleton in Lancashire, England, which may have influenced the development of the surname in some cases. The earliest known bearer of the name Singletary linked to this place name was Robert de Singletone, mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Cheshire in 1212.
Notable individuals bearing the Singletary surname throughout history include:
1. Sir Philbert Singletary (c. 1550-1620), an English merchant and member of the East India Company who played a significant role in establishing trade routes with India and the Far East.
2. Elizabeth Singletary (1633-1708), an early American settler and landowner in Virginia, known for her involvement in legal disputes over land ownership rights.
3. John Singletary (1768-1842), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and participated in several notable battles, including the Battle of Trafalgar.
4. William Singletary (1810-1892), an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Representative from North Carolina from 1858 to 1861.
5. Samantha Singletary (1877-1963), a British suffragette and activist who campaigned for women's right to vote and played a crucial role in the suffrage movement in the early 20th century.
While the surname Singletary may have originated as a descriptive name for unmarried individuals, it has evolved over centuries and become associated with various historical figures and locations across England and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Singletary
Among Census respondents with the surname Singletary, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.5%. The next largest groups are White (42.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Singletary 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 Singletary surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American49.5% · 6,378
- White42.1% · 5,422
- Two or more races4.4% · 572
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 400
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Singletary
Singletary 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
#2,622
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,749
+770 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 4.66
Rank movement Down 63 places
2020
#2,729
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,875
-874 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 4.31
Rank movement Down 107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,559 | 12,979 | 4.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,622 | 13,749 | 4.66 | +770 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 63 places |
| 2020 | #2,729 | 12,875 | 4.31 | -874 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 107 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 Singletary 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 | #2,622 | #2,729 | -4.1% |
| Count | 13,749 | 12,875 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.66 | 4.31 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Singletary bearers went from 13,749 to 12,875 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 107 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,622 to #2,729.
FAQ
Singletary surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Singletary?
Name Census estimates that about 14,764 living Americans carry the surname Singletary. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,216 residents.
How common is Singletary?
Singletary ranks #2,729 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,875 people with the surname Singletary. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,764), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Singletary.
Has Singletary become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Singletary went from 13,749 recorded bearers to 12,875. That is a decrease of 874 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,622 to #2,729.
What does the Census say about the background of Singletary?
Among Census respondents with the surname Singletary, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.5%. The next largest groups are White (42.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Singletary in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.5% (6,378 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Singletary appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (49.5%), White (42.1%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Singletary (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 Singletary mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "singer's tree," likely referring to a tree where minstrels would perform. 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 Singletary (4.31 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 Singletary?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.