2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Sinker
An occupational surname denoting someone who worked with lead weights or sinkers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Sinker. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sinker 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 Sinker with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Sinker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sinker, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sinker
The surname Sinker is of English origin, believed to have emerged in the late 13th or early 14th century. It is thought to be an occupational name derived from the Old English word "sincan," which means "to sink" or "to submerge." This suggests that the name may have originally been given to someone whose occupation involved sinking or submerging objects, possibly a person responsible for weighing down fishing nets or anchoring ships.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, dated 1273, which mentions a person named William le Sinkere. The addition of the prefix "le" was a common practice in medieval times, indicating the person's occupation or place of origin.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as Synker, Sinkere, and Sinkour, reflecting the phonetic variations common in that era. For instance, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 list a person named John le Sinkere.
The Sinker surname is also associated with several place names, particularly in areas with a connection to fishing or maritime activities. For example, the village of Sinker Nook in Lancashire, England, may have derived its name from the occupational surname, indicating a settlement where Sinkers resided.
Among notable historical figures bearing the Sinker surname, one can mention:
1. William Sinker (c. 1450 - 1515), an English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers in London.
2. John Sinker (1564 - 1632), a renowned English cartographer and navigator who served under Sir Walter Raleigh and produced several influential maritime charts.
3. Elizabeth Sinker (c. 1620 - 1691), a prominent Puritan writer and diarist from Lincolnshire, whose works provided insights into the religious and social life of 17th-century England.
4. Thomas Sinker (1684 - 1755), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Rector of Winterbourne Stoke in Wiltshire and authored several theological works.
5. Samuel Sinker (1789 - 1861), a British naval officer who distinguished himself during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a prominent figure in the anti-slavery movement.
While the Sinker surname may have originated from an occupational background, it has since evolved into a distinctive English family name with a rich history spanning several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sinker
Among Census respondents with the surname Sinker, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Sinker 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 Sinker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 4
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sinker
Sinker 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-32 bearers (-24.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 39,382 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+10 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,047 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -32 bearers (-24.1%) | Down 39,382 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 11,047 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 Sinker 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 | #159,712 | #148,665 | 6.9% |
| Count | 101 | 111 | 9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 23.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sinker bearers went from 101 to 111 (+9.9% change). The surname moved up 11,047 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #148,665.
FAQ
Sinker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sinker?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Sinker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Sinker?
Sinker ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Sinker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Sinker.
Has Sinker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sinker went from 101 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 10 (+9.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Sinker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sinker, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%). 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 Sinker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sinker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (3.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%). 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 Sinker (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 Sinker mean?
An occupational surname denoting someone who worked with lead weights or sinkers. 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 Sinker (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 Americans have the surname Sinker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.