2000
#10,920
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,674
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Sison
A Filipino surname derived from the Spanish word "sison," meaning "increase" or "addition."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,368 Americans carry the last name Sison. That puts it at #8,317 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,469 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sison 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 Sison with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 78,469
Census rank
#8,317
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,809 bearers of the surname Sison in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8317th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sison, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.7%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sison
The surname SISON originated in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period. It is derived from the Spanish word "sison," which means a type of grass or weed. The name was likely given to someone who lived near or worked with this particular plant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SISON surname can be found in the "Catalogo Alfabetico de Apellidos" (Alphabetical Catalog of Surnames), a document compiled by the Spanish colonial authorities in the Philippines in the late 18th century.
In the 19th century, several notable individuals with the SISON surname emerged. One was Pedro Sison, a Filipino revolutionary who fought against Spanish colonial rule in the 1890s. Another was Gregorio Sison, a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Philippine Commission in the early 20th century.
During the American colonial period in the Philippines (1898-1946), the SISON surname continued to be prominent. One notable figure was Teodoro Sison, a journalist and author who wrote extensively about Philippine culture and history in the early 20th century.
In the mid-20th century, one of the most well-known individuals with the SISON surname was Jose Maria Sison, a Filipino communist revolutionary and the founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines. He was born in 1939 and continues to be an influential figure in Philippine politics and social movements.
Another notable SISON was Guillermo Sison, a Filipino artist and painter who was active in the latter half of the 20th century. His works explored themes of Philippine culture and identity, and he is considered one of the country's most important modern artists.
While the SISON surname originated in the Philippines, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots and historical significance remain deeply tied to the Philippine archipelago and its rich cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sison
Among Census respondents with the surname Sison, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.7%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sison 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 Sison surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander82.4% · 3,140
- White6.7% · 257
- Two or more races6.0% · 229
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 157
- Black or African American0.4% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sison
Sison 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
#9,033
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,617
+943 bearers (+35.3%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Up 1,887 places
2020
#8,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,809
+192 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Up 716 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,920 | 2,674 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,033 | 3,617 | 1.23 | +943 bearers (+35.3%) | Up 1,887 places |
| 2020 | #8,317 | 3,809 | 1.27 | +192 bearers (+5.3%) | Up 716 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 Sison 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 | #9,033 | #8,317 | 7.9% |
| Count | 3,617 | 3,809 | 5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.23 | 1.27 | 3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sison bearers went from 3,617 to 3,809 (+5.3% change). The surname moved up 716 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,033 to #8,317.
FAQ
Sison surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sison?
Name Census estimates that about 4,368 living Americans carry the surname Sison. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,469 residents.
How common is Sison?
Sison ranks #8,317 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 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 3,809 people with the surname Sison. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,368), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 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 Sison.
Has Sison become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sison went from 3,617 recorded bearers to 3,809. That is an increase of 192 (+5.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,033 to #8,317.
What does the Census say about the background of Sison?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sison, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.7%) and Two or More Races (6.0%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sison in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.4% (3,140 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sison appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (82.4%), White (6.7%), Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Sison (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 Sison mean?
A Filipino surname derived from the Spanish word "sison," meaning "increase" or "addition." 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 Sison (1.27 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 Sison?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.