2000
#5,920
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,355
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.99
Rare Last name
Sink
An occupational surname for someone who made or repaired wells or sinks, or lived near a sinking stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,667 Americans carry the last name Sink. That puts it at #6,581 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,483 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sink 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
5.7K
1 in 60,483
Census rank
#6,581
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,942 bearers of the surname Sink in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6581st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sink, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sink
The surname "SINK" is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "sinken," which means "to sink" or "to descend." This name likely originated as a descriptive surname, given to someone who lived near a sunken or low-lying area, or possibly as an occupational name for someone who worked in a mine or quarry.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname "SINK" can be found in various German regions, including Bavaria and Saxony, dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries. One notable early bearer of this name was Hans Sink, a merchant from Nuremberg who lived in the late 15th century.
In the 17th century, the name "SINK" appeared in various German church records and tax rolls, indicating its spread across various German-speaking regions. Some variations in spelling included "Sinck," "Sinke," and "Sincker."
As German immigrants began to settle in various parts of the world, the surname "SINK" traveled with them. In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of this name was Johann Michael Sink, who was born in 1732 in Württemberg, Germany, and later emigrated to Pennsylvania in the mid-18th century.
Another notable bearer of the "SINK" surname was Johann Adam Sink, a German-American farmer and politician born in 1782 in Pennsylvania. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate and was active in local politics.
In England, the surname "SINK" can be traced back to the 19th century, likely introduced by German immigrants or as a variation of the English surname "Sinker." One prominent figure with this name was Sir Robert Sink, a British businessman and philanthropist born in 1841, who made significant contributions to various charitable causes.
Throughout history, the "SINK" surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, writers, and academics. One such example is William Sink, an American painter and sculptor born in 1887, who was known for his portraiture and landscape paintings.
Overall, the surname "SINK" has a rich history rooted in German origins, with its bearers spreading across various parts of the world and making significant contributions in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sink
Among Census respondents with the surname Sink, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Sink 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 Sink surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 4,602
- Two or more races2.9% · 142
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 130
- Black or African American0.5% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sink
Sink 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
#6,331
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,388
+33 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.83
Rank movement Down 411 places
2020
#6,581
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,942
-446 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 1.65
Rank movement Down 250 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,920 | 5,355 | 1.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,331 | 5,388 | 1.83 | +33 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 411 places |
| 2020 | #6,581 | 4,942 | 1.65 | -446 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 250 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 Sink 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 | #6,331 | #6,581 | -3.9% |
| Count | 5,388 | 4,942 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.83 | 1.65 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sink bearers went from 5,388 to 4,942 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 250 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,331 to #6,581.
FAQ
Sink surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sink?
Name Census estimates that about 5,667 living Americans carry the surname Sink. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,483 residents.
How common is Sink?
Sink ranks #6,581 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,942 people with the surname Sink. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,667), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Sink.
Has Sink become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sink went from 5,388 recorded bearers to 4,942. That is a decrease of 446 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,331 to #6,581.
What does the Census say about the background of Sink?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sink, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Sink in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (4,602 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sink appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Sink (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 Sink mean?
An occupational surname for someone who made or repaired wells or sinks, or lived near a sinking stream. 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 Sink (1.65 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 Sink?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Sink is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.