2000
#13,596
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,048
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Sinn
A German toponymic surname indicating an origin near a river, stream, or other flowing body of water.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,477 Americans carry the last name Sinn. That puts it at #13,477 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,375 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sinn 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 Sinn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 138,375
Census rank
#13,477
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,160 bearers of the surname Sinn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13477th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sinn, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sinn
The surname Sinn has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old High German word "sinnen," which means "to go" or "to travel." This suggests that the name may have originally been given to someone who frequently traveled or journeyed.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sinn can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the Rhineland region of Germany, dating back to the year 1195. In this document, a person named Henricus Sinn is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction.
In the 14th century, the name Sinn appeared in various forms, such as Synne, Syne, and Synn, in various records from different parts of Germany. It is believed that the name may have been influenced by the Old German word "sinn," meaning "mind" or "thought," which could suggest that the name was associated with someone who was considered wise or thoughtful.
One notable individual with the surname Sinn was Johann Sinn, a German mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1621 to 1682. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and was responsible for calculating the orbit of the comet that bears his name, Sinn's Comet.
Another important figure was Johann Baptist Sinn, a German composer and organist who lived from 1779 to 1833. He was known for his compositions for the organ and was highly regarded in his time.
In the 19th century, the name Sinn appeared in various places across Europe, including the United Kingdom and France. One notable individual was Louis Sinn, a French painter who lived from 1810 to 1866 and was known for his landscapes and portraits.
The name Sinn has also been associated with several notable places throughout history. For example, the town of Sinnsheim in the German state of Baden-Württemberg is believed to have derived its name from the Sinn family, who were prominent landowners in the area during the Middle Ages.
Other notable individuals with the surname Sinn include Karl Sinn, a German politician and trade unionist who lived from 1876 to 1935, and Dieter Sinn, a German economist and author born in 1944, who has written extensively on economic policy and international trade.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sinn
Among Census respondents with the surname Sinn, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sinn 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 Sinn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.9% · 1,813
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.9% · 235
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 52
- Two or more races2.0% · 44
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sinn
Sinn 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
#13,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,202
+154 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 145 places
2020
#13,477
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,160
-42 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 264 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,596 | 2,048 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,741 | 2,202 | 0.75 | +154 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 145 places |
| 2020 | #13,477 | 2,160 | 0.72 | -42 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 264 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 Sinn 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 | #13,741 | #13,477 | 1.9% |
| Count | 2,202 | 2,160 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.72 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sinn bearers went from 2,202 to 2,160 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 264 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,741 to #13,477.
FAQ
Sinn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sinn?
Name Census estimates that about 2,477 living Americans carry the surname Sinn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,375 residents.
How common is Sinn?
Sinn ranks #13,477 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,160 people with the surname Sinn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,477), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sinn.
Has Sinn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sinn went from 2,202 recorded bearers to 2,160. That is a decrease of 42 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,741 to #13,477.
What does the Census say about the background of Sinn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sinn, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sinn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.9% (1,813 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sinn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (10.9%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Sinn (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 Sinn mean?
A German toponymic surname indicating an origin near a river, stream, or other flowing body of water. 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 Sinn (0.72 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 Sinn?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.