2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sipola
A surname derived from the Latin word "sipulus" meaning "young sprout," originally denoting someone from a rural or pastoral area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Sipola. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sipola 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Sipola in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sipola, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sipola
The surname Sipola has its roots in Finland, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Finnish word "sipuli," meaning "onion." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who grew or traded in onions.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Sipola can be found in parish records from the Southwestern regions of Finland, particularly in the areas around Turku and Pori. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Matti Sipola, a farmer who lived in the village of Nousiainen near Turku in the late 1500s.
In the 17th century, the name Sipola appeared in various forms, such as Sipolain, Sipolainen, and Sipolanpoika, reflecting the common practice of adding patronymic suffixes to surnames during that time. One notable individual was Jaakko Sipolanpoika, a soldier from Pori who fought in the Russo-Swedish War of 1656-1658.
By the 18th century, the spelling of the name had largely standardized to Sipola. During this period, several Sipola families were recorded in the coastal regions of southwestern Finland, with some members working as fishermen or sailors. One such individual was Matti Sipola, a shipwright from Rauma, born in 1725.
In the 19th century, the Sipola name spread more widely across Finland as people migrated to other parts of the country. One notable bearer of the name was Juho Sipola (1823-1887), a prominent figure in the early Finnish labor movement and a founding member of the Finnish Workers' Association.
Another notable Sipola was Kaarlo Sipola (1856-1923), a Finnish-American businessman and politician who served as a member of the Michigan State Senate in the early 20th century. He was born in Pori, Finland, before emigrating to the United States.
While the surname Sipola is most commonly found in Finland, it has also been carried by individuals of Finnish descent in other parts of the world, particularly in North America and Sweden, where Finnish communities have historically settled.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sipola
Among Census respondents with the surname Sipola, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sipola 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 Sipola surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 94
- Two or more races5.6% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sipola
Sipola 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,809 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 989 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,809 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 989 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 Sipola 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 | #152,628 | #151,639 | 0.6% |
| Count | 107 | 107 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sipola bearers went from 107 to 107 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 989 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #151,639.
FAQ
Sipola surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sipola?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Sipola. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Sipola?
Sipola ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Sipola. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Sipola.
Has Sipola become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sipola went from 107 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Sipola?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sipola, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) and Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Sipola in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sipola appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Two or More Races (5.6%), Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Sipola (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 Sipola mean?
A surname derived from the Latin word "sipulus" meaning "young sprout," originally denoting someone from a rural or pastoral area. 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 Sipola (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 have the surname Sipola?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.