2000
#11,358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,547
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Sleeper
An occupational surname for someone who worked as a mattress maker or operated an inn with sleeping quarters.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,714 Americans carry the last name Sleeper. That puts it at #12,506 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,291 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sleeper 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
2.7K
1 in 126,291
Census rank
#12,506
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,367 bearers of the surname Sleeper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12506th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sleeper, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sleeper
The surname SLEEPER originated in England during the late medieval period. It derives from the Old English word "slæpere," which means "one who sleeps." This occupational surname was likely given to someone who worked as a night watchman or guard, or perhaps to someone who simply had a habit of sleeping excessively.
One of the earliest known records of the surname SLEEPER can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, which mention a John le Slepere. The use of the Norman-French prefix "le" before the occupational name was common during this time.
In the 14th century, the SLEEPER surname appeared in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, where a Thomas Sleper was recorded in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. The name also appeared in Gloucestershire, with a William Slepere mentioned in the Gloucestershire Subsidy Rolls of 1380.
During the 15th century, the surname began to take on its modern spelling of "SLEEPER." In the Suffolk Subsidy Rolls of 1524, a John Sleeper is listed, while the Hertfordshire Subsidy Rolls of 1543 mention a Thomas Sleeper.
One notable historical figure with the SLEEPER surname was Sir William Sleeper (c.1520-1587), an English Member of Parliament who served during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He represented the borough of Guildford in the Parliament of 1563-1567.
Another prominent individual was Thomas Sleeper (1614-1684), an early settler in New England who arrived in Boston in 1635. He later became a freeman of Salisbury, Massachusetts, and served as a selectman and deputy to the General Court.
In the 18th century, John Sleeper (1731-1808) was a Revolutionary War soldier from New Hampshire who fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Battle of Saratoga. He later settled in Vermont and became a successful farmer and landowner.
Samuel Sleeper (1792-1875) was a prominent businessman and politician from Massachusetts. He served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and was involved in various business ventures, including the construction of railroads and factories.
In the 19th century, Henry Sleeper (1819-1904) was a renowned architect and furniture designer from Boston. He is best known for his Gothic Revival style and his innovative furniture designs, which were influenced by medieval and Renaissance styles.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sleeper
Among Census respondents with the surname Sleeper, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sleeper 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 Sleeper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 2,046
- Two or more races4.9% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 103
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 51
- Black or African American1.6% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sleeper
Sleeper 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
#12,012
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,599
+52 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 654 places
2020
#12,506
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,367
-232 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 494 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,358 | 2,547 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,012 | 2,599 | 0.88 | +52 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 654 places |
| 2020 | #12,506 | 2,367 | 0.79 | -232 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 494 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 Sleeper 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 | #12,012 | #12,506 | -4.1% |
| Count | 2,599 | 2,367 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.79 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sleeper bearers went from 2,599 to 2,367 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 494 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,012 to #12,506.
FAQ
Sleeper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sleeper?
Name Census estimates that about 2,714 living Americans carry the surname Sleeper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,291 residents.
How common is Sleeper?
Sleeper ranks #12,506 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,367 people with the surname Sleeper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,714), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Sleeper.
Has Sleeper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sleeper went from 2,599 recorded bearers to 2,367. That is a decrease of 232 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,012 to #12,506.
What does the Census say about the background of Sleeper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sleeper, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Sleeper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (2,046 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sleeper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Sleeper (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 Sleeper mean?
An occupational surname for someone who worked as a mattress maker or operated an inn with sleeping quarters. 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 Sleeper (0.79 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 Sleeper?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.