2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Siniff
A surname possibly derived from a geographic location or referring to an ancestral occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Siniff. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Siniff 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Siniff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Siniff, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Siniff
The surname SINIFF is believed to have originated in Germany in the late 15th century. It is thought to be derived from the old German word "sineffe," which referred to a type of medicinal plant or herb. The name likely indicated a person who grew or traded in such plants or herbs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a German village record from 1492, where a "Hans Siniff" is mentioned as a resident. Another early reference is found in a merchant ledger from the city of Hamburg dated 1508, listing a "Jurgen Siniff" as a spice trader.
In the 16th century, the name began appearing in various spellings like "Sineff," "Sinif," and "Sineffe" across central and northern Germany. A "Peter Sineff" is recorded as a landowner in the town of Lübeck in 1537.
By the 17th century, the name had spread to other parts of Europe. A "Willem Siniff" is mentioned in a Dutch maritime record from 1611 as a ship's carpenter. A "Jean Siniffe" is listed in a French census from the city of Strasbourg in 1662.
Notable bearers of the name include Johann Siniff (1712-1785), a German botanist who authored several works on medicinal plants. Another was Christoph Siniff (1768-1842), a German artist known for his landscape paintings.
In the 19th century, a "Thomas Siniff" (1827-1901) emigrated from Germany to the United States, settling in Pennsylvania. He worked as a farmer and herbalist. His son, William Siniff (1856-1932), became a respected physician in Philadelphia.
Other notable figures include Hedwig Siniff (1884-1964), a German opera singer who performed in several major European cities. And Kurt Siniff (1920-1998), a German-born American chemist who made important contributions to polymer research.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Siniff
Among Census respondents with the surname Siniff, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Siniff 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 Siniff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Siniff
Siniff 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,104 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+8 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,986 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 9,104 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.8%) | Up 8,986 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 Siniff 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 | #158,432 | #149,446 | 5.7% |
| Count | 102 | 110 | 7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 22.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Siniff bearers went from 102 to 110 (+7.8% change). The surname moved up 8,986 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #149,446.
FAQ
Siniff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Siniff?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Siniff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Siniff?
Siniff ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Siniff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Siniff.
Has Siniff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Siniff went from 102 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 8 (+7.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Siniff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Siniff, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Siniff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Siniff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.2%), Hispanic (0.9%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Siniff (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 Siniff mean?
A surname possibly derived from a geographic location or referring to an ancestral occupation. 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 Siniff (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 many people have the last name Siniff?
Find out how many people have the last name Siniff on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.