2000
#4,009
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.01
Rare Last name
Southerland
Derived from a place name meaning "southern land" in Old English, referring to someone from the south.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,123 Americans carry the last name Southerland. That puts it at #4,318 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,570 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Southerland 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 Southerland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.1K
1 in 37,570
Census rank
#4,318
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,956 bearers of the surname Southerland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4318th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Southerland, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Southerland
Among Census respondents with the surname Southerland, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Southerland 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 Southerland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.0% · 5,884
- Black or African American15.8% · 1,255
- Two or more races5.0% · 396
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 285
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 81
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 55
Timeline
Historical Census data for Southerland
Southerland 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
#4,252
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,336
+204 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 2.83
Rank movement Down 243 places
2020
#4,318
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,956
-380 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 2.66
Rank movement Down 66 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,009 | 8,132 | 3.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,252 | 8,336 | 2.83 | +204 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 243 places |
| 2020 | #4,318 | 7,956 | 2.66 | -380 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 66 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 Southerland 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 | #4,252 | #4,318 | -1.6% |
| Count | 8,336 | 7,956 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.83 | 2.66 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Southerland bearers went from 8,336 to 7,956 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 66 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,252 to #4,318.
FAQ
Southerland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Southerland?
Name Census estimates that about 9,123 living Americans carry the surname Southerland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,570 residents.
How common is Southerland?
Southerland ranks #4,318 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,956 people with the surname Southerland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Southerland.
Has Southerland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Southerland went from 8,336 recorded bearers to 7,956. That is a decrease of 380 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,252 to #4,318.
What does the Census say about the background of Southerland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Southerland, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Southerland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.0% (5,884 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Southerland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.0%), Black (15.8%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Southerland (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 Southerland mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "southern land" in Old English, referring to someone from the south. 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 Southerland (2.66 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 are called Southerland?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Southerland on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.