2000
#108,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 152
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Sininger
An English surname likely derived from an occupational name for a singer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Sininger. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sininger 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Sininger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sininger, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sininger
The surname Sininger is believed to have originated in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Singen," which means "to sing." This suggests that the name was likely given to individuals who were singers or minstrels by profession.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sininger can be found in the church records of the town of Marburg, Hesse, Germany, where a Johannes Sininger was mentioned in 1576. Another early record is from the town of Mainz, where a Hans Sininger was listed as a resident in 1602.
The Sininger name also appears in several historical documents, including the Palatine Immigrant Lists of 1710-1711. These lists recorded the names of German settlers who were granted land in the British colonies of North America, and several families with the surname Sininger are listed among them.
Over the centuries, the name has undergone various spelling variations, such as Singner, Singinger, and Singerer. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping during earlier times.
Notables who bore the Sininger surname include Friedrich Sininger (1675-1742), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Margrave of Baden-Durlach. Johann Sininger (1709-1776) was a German theologian and author who wrote several treatises on religious philosophy.
In the 19th century, Heinrich Sininger (1822-1899) was a prominent German industrialist who founded a successful steel manufacturing company in the Ruhr region. He was also known for his philanthropic efforts, establishing several schools and hospitals in his hometown.
Another notable figure was Anna Sininger (1856-1932), a German-born American educator and women's rights activist. She was a pioneer in the field of vocational education for women and played a significant role in promoting equal opportunities for female students.
The Sininger name has also been associated with various places and geographic features. For instance, there is a Sininger Creek in Pennsylvania, named after an early settler of German descent who lived near its banks.
While the Sininger surname may not be as widespread as some other German names, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and reflects the diverse experiences of those who bore it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sininger
Among Census respondents with the surname Sininger, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Sininger 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 Sininger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 118
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sininger
Sininger 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
-22 bearers (-14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,457 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-12 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,901 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #108,153 | 152 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-14.5%) | Down 22,457 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 12,901 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 Sininger 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 | #130,610 | #143,511 | -9.9% |
| Count | 130 | 118 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sininger bearers went from 130 to 118 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 12,901 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #143,511.
FAQ
Sininger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sininger?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Sininger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Sininger?
Sininger ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Sininger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Sininger.
Has Sininger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sininger went from 130 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Sininger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sininger, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Sininger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (118 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sininger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Sininger (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 Sininger mean?
An English surname likely derived from an occupational name for a singer. 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 Sininger (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 are called Sininger?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Sininger at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.