2000
#10,923
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,673
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Sisler
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "schüzzer," meaning an archer or bowman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,999 Americans carry the last name Sisler. That puts it at #11,509 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,290 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sisler 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
3.0K
1 in 114,290
Census rank
#11,509
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,615 bearers of the surname Sisler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11509th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sisler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sisler
The surname Sisler is of German origin, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century in the southern regions of present-day Germany. It is believed to have derived from the German word "siess," which translates to "sweet" or "pleasant," possibly referring to a person with a pleasant demeanor or temperament.
One of the earliest known individuals bearing this name was Hans Sisler, a farmer from the village of Schiltach in the Black Forest region of Germany, whose name appeared in local records from the late 1500s. The name was also found in various church registers and tax records from the same period in towns like Freiburg and Offenburg.
In the 17th century, the Sisler name began to spread across other parts of Germany, with records indicating the presence of families with this surname in cities such as Stuttgart and Heidelberg. During this time, variations in spelling, such as "Siesler" and "Sissler," were also observed in different regions.
One notable individual with the Sisler surname was Johann Sisler (1646-1718), a renowned clockmaker and master craftsman from the town of Schramberg in the Black Forest. His intricate and innovative clock designs were highly sought after by the nobility and wealthy merchants of the time.
As the 18th and 19th centuries progressed, the Sisler name continued to be present in various parts of Germany, with some families migrating to other European countries and even to the Americas. One such individual was Karl Sisler (1805-1877), a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania, United States, and established a successful farming and milling business.
In more recent history, the Sisler name has been associated with several notable individuals, including George Sisler (1893-1973), an American professional baseball player who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. Another prominent figure was David Sisler (1936-2010), an American author and Christian speaker who wrote numerous books on faith and family life.
Other individuals bearing the Sisler surname who have made significant contributions in their respective fields include Rebecca Sisler (1924-2008), an American artist known for her landscape paintings, and John Sisler (born 1961), a Canadian ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League during the 1980s and 1990s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sisler
Among Census respondents with the surname Sisler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sisler 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 Sisler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 2,433
- Two or more races3.0% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 62
- Black or African American0.7% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sisler
Sisler 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
#10,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,936
+263 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Up 76 places
2020
#11,509
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,615
-321 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 662 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,923 | 2,673 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,847 | 2,936 | 1.00 | +263 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 76 places |
| 2020 | #11,509 | 2,615 | 0.87 | -321 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 662 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 Sisler 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 | #10,847 | #11,509 | -6.1% |
| Count | 2,936 | 2,615 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.87 | -12.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sisler bearers went from 2,936 to 2,615 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 662 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,847 to #11,509.
FAQ
Sisler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sisler?
Name Census estimates that about 2,999 living Americans carry the surname Sisler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,290 residents.
How common is Sisler?
Sisler ranks #11,509 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 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 2,615 people with the surname Sisler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,999), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 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 Sisler.
Has Sisler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sisler went from 2,936 recorded bearers to 2,615. That is a decrease of 321 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,847 to #11,509.
What does the Census say about the background of Sisler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sisler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) 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 Sisler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (2,433 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sisler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (3.0%), 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 Sisler (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 Sisler mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "schüzzer," meaning an archer or bowman. 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 Sisler (0.87 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 Sisler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.