Find out how popular the last name Southerland is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Southerland.

Southerland, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Southerland surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Southerland in America

Southerland is the 4252nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Southerland surname appeared 8,336 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Southerland.

We can also compare 2010 data for Southerland to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Southerland

The surname Southerland has its origins in the northern parts of Scotland, particularly in the areas of Caithness and Sutherland. It is believed to have emerged during the 12th or 13th century and is derived from the Old Norse words "suthr" meaning "southern" and "land" meaning "land" or "territory".

This name likely referred to the southern part of the Sutherland region, which was historically part of the Norse kingdom of Orkney and Shetland. The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears to be "Suthrland" in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the year 1290.

The Sutherland clan was one of the most powerful and influential families in northern Scotland during the medieval period. One of the earliest recorded members of this clan was William de Moravia, who held the title of Earl of Sutherland in the early 13th century.

In the 14th century, the Southerland name can be found in various Scottish records, such as the Bain's Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland from 1357, which mentions a "John de Sutherland". Additionally, the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landowners in England, includes the name "Sutherlant" in its listings.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Southerland or its variations. One of the most prominent was Sir John Sutherland (1610-1670), a Scottish nobleman and soldier who fought for the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. Another was George Sutherland (1862-1942), an American lawyer and jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from 1922 to 1938.

Other notable individuals with this surname include the Scottish author and historian Alexander Sutherland (1833-1905), the American painter Earl Southerland (1881-1941), and the Canadian politician and businessman Robert Sutherland (1891-1976).

The Southerland name has also been associated with various place names, such as the town of Sutherland in Iowa, United States, and the Sutherland River in Western Australia. Additionally, the Scottish district of Sutherland, which was historically part of the Southerland clan's territory, continues to bear this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Southerland

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Southerland.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Southerland was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Southerland has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Southerland was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Southerland, please contact us.

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