2000
#19,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,289
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.48
Rare Last name
Sinnett
A surname derived from the place name "Sinnet" or possibly "cynet" meaning rabbit.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,491 Americans carry the last name Sinnett. That puts it at #20,635 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 229,882 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sinnett 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 Sinnett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.5K
1 in 229,882
Census rank
#20,635
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,300 bearers of the surname Sinnett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20635th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sinnett, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sinnett
The surname Sinnett is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "senne," meaning a dry or sunburnt place, suggesting the name may have originated from someone who lived in such a location.
The earliest known record of the name Sinnett appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it is listed as "Synot." This spelling variation likely emerged from the way the name was pronounced at the time. Over the centuries, the name has also been recorded as "Synnode," "Synnot," and "Sinnot" before settling on its current form.
In the 14th century, the name Sinnett appeared in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Somerset, indicating the presence of families bearing this surname in the region. It is also found in various historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries, such as parish records and court rolls from counties like Devon and Dorset.
One notable individual with the surname Sinnett was Sir Walter Sinnett (1535-1616), a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament for Bridgwater in Somerset during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another historically significant figure was Sir John Sinnett (1612-1688), an English lawyer and Chief Justice of the King's Bench in Ireland.
In the 18th century, the Sinnett family gained prominence in the town of Wrington, Somerset, where several members held positions of importance, such as churchwardens and overseers of the poor. One notable individual from this period was Reverend Richard Sinnett (1718-1792), a respected clergyman and author of theological works.
During the 19th century, the Sinnett name spread across various parts of the British Empire, with individuals bearing this surname making their mark in various fields. One such figure was Alfred Percy Sinnett (1840-1921), an English author, and theosophist who played a significant role in the establishment of the Theosophical Society.
Another prominent individual with the Sinnett surname was Sir Percy Sinnett (1865-1945), a British civil servant who served as the Chief Commissioner of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from 1905 to 1910. He was recognized for his contributions to the administration and development of these islands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sinnett
Among Census respondents with the surname Sinnett, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sinnett 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 Sinnett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 1,196
- Two or more races3.8% · 49
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 12
- Black or African American0.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sinnett
Sinnett 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
#21,439
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,219
-70 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Down 2,018 places
2020
#20,635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,300
+81 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Up 804 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,421 | 1,289 | 0.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,439 | 1,219 | 0.41 | -70 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 2,018 places |
| 2020 | #20,635 | 1,300 | 0.43 | +81 bearers (+6.6%) | Up 804 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 Sinnett 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 | #21,439 | #20,635 | 3.8% |
| Count | 1,219 | 1,300 | 6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.41 | 0.43 | 6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sinnett bearers went from 1,219 to 1,300 (+6.6% change). The surname moved up 804 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,439 to #20,635.
FAQ
Sinnett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sinnett?
Name Census estimates that about 1,491 living Americans carry the surname Sinnett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 229,882 residents.
How common is Sinnett?
Sinnett ranks #20,635 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.43 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 1,300 people with the surname Sinnett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,491), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.43 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 Sinnett.
Has Sinnett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sinnett went from 1,219 recorded bearers to 1,300. That is an increase of 81 (+6.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #21,439 to #20,635.
What does the Census say about the background of Sinnett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sinnett, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Sinnett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (1,196 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sinnett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Sinnett (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 Sinnett mean?
A surname derived from the place name "Sinnet" or possibly "cynet" meaning rabbit. 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 Sinnett (0.43 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 Sinnett?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Sinnett is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.