2000
#6,729
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,621
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.71
Rare Last name
Sites
An occupational surname for someone who lived near or worked at a location or settlement.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,039 Americans carry the last name Sites. That puts it at #7,311 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,020 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sites 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
5.0K
1 in 68,020
Census rank
#7,311
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,394 bearers of the surname Sites in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7311th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sites, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sites
The surname Sites is believed to originate from England, dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "sæte," meaning a place where someone lived or a dwelling. This name likely referred to someone who lived in a particular location or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sites can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1191, where a person named Radulphus de Sete is mentioned. This suggests that the name was in use by the late 12th century in the county of Gloucestershire.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Sete, Setes, and Settes, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation at the time. For instance, the Hundred Rolls of 1273 recorded a William de Setes in Oxfordshire.
The surname Sites may also have originated from a place name, as many surnames were derived from the locations where families lived. One such place was Zetten, a town in the Dutch province of Gelderland, which could have given rise to the surname through migration and anglicization.
Historically, the name Sites has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest recorded figures was John Sites (c. 1550-1611), an English clergyman and author who served as a canon at Canterbury Cathedral.
Another prominent figure was Sir Joseph Sites (1663-1737), a British politician and Member of Parliament for Lostwithiel in Cornwall. He played a significant role in the Whig party during the reign of King George I.
In the United States, Jacob Sites (1770-1854) was a prominent figure in the early days of the country. He served as a colonel in the Pennsylvania Militia during the War of 1812 and later became a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
In the literary world, Thomas Sites (1824-1886) was an English poet and novelist known for his works "The Autobiography of a Working Man" and "The Naturalist of Cumbrae."
Lastly, Henry Sites (1895-1968) was an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Sites Candy Company in Minnesota. He was known for his charitable contributions to various educational institutions and organizations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sites
Among Census respondents with the surname Sites, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sites 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 Sites surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 4,099
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 122
- Two or more races2.5% · 110
- Black or African American0.5% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sites
Sites 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
#7,195
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,644
+23 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 466 places
2020
#7,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,394
-250 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 116 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,729 | 4,621 | 1.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,195 | 4,644 | 1.57 | +23 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 466 places |
| 2020 | #7,311 | 4,394 | 1.47 | -250 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 116 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 Sites 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 | #7,195 | #7,311 | -1.6% |
| Count | 4,644 | 4,394 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.57 | 1.47 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sites bearers went from 4,644 to 4,394 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 116 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,195 to #7,311.
FAQ
Sites surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sites?
Name Census estimates that about 5,039 living Americans carry the surname Sites. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,020 residents.
How common is Sites?
Sites ranks #7,311 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.47 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 4,394 people with the surname Sites. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,039), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.47 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 Sites.
Has Sites become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sites went from 4,644 recorded bearers to 4,394. That is a decrease of 250 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,195 to #7,311.
What does the Census say about the background of Sites?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sites, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Sites in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (4,099 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sites appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Sites (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 Sites mean?
An occupational surname for someone who lived near or worked at a location or settlement. 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 Sites (1.47 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 Sites?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.