2000
#4,496
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,263
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.69
Rare Last name
Sparrow
An occupational surname referring to a person who caught sparrows or a nickname for a small, lively person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,668 Americans carry the last name Sparrow. That puts it at #4,554 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,542 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sparrow 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 Sparrow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.7K
1 in 39,542
Census rank
#4,554
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,559 bearers of the surname Sparrow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4554th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sparrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.8%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sparrow
The surname Sparrow originated in England during the medieval period, derived from the Middle English word "sparwe" or the Old English "spearwa," which referred to the small bird of the same name. This surname likely arose as a nickname for someone with characteristics associated with the sparrow, such as a small stature or quick movements.
The earliest known record of the surname Sparrow dates back to the 13th century in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a person named Johannes Sparwe was mentioned. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form, Sparrow.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Sparrow was Thomas Sparrow, a 15th-century English cleric and Bishop of Norwich, who lived from around 1420 to 1486. He played a significant role in the establishment of the Eton College and was known for his involvement in the construction of its chapel.
In the 16th century, John Sparrow, an English theologian and scholar, made significant contributions to the study of Greek literature. He was born around 1615 and served as the president of Harvard College from 1655 to 1660.
During the 17th century, Sir Michael Sparrow, an English landowner and politician, held the position of High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire in 1663. He was born in 1612 and died in 1670.
In the 18th century, John Sparrow, an English churchman and author, gained recognition for his writings on ecclesiastical history. He was born in 1704 and passed away in 1788.
One of the more notable individuals with the surname Sparrow was Sir John Sparrow David Thompson, a British colonial administrator and explorer. Born in 1845, he played a crucial role in mapping the Canadian Northwest and served as the Prime Minister of the Canadian province of Newfoundland from 1909 to 1919. He died in 1924.
The surname Sparrow has been associated with various place names in England, such as Sparrow Green in Worcestershire and Sparrow Hill in Buckinghamshire, further solidifying its English origins. While the surname has spread across the globe, its roots can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it originated as a descriptive nickname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sparrow
Among Census respondents with the surname Sparrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.8%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Sparrow 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 Sparrow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.8% · 5,124
- Black or African American23.6% · 1,785
- Two or more races4.6% · 350
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 212
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sparrow
Sparrow 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
#4,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,614
+351 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 2.58
Rank movement Down 161 places
2020
#4,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,559
-55 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 2.53
Rank movement Up 103 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,496 | 7,263 | 2.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,657 | 7,614 | 2.58 | +351 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 161 places |
| 2020 | #4,554 | 7,559 | 2.53 | -55 bearers (-0.7%) | Up 103 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 Sparrow 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 | #4,657 | #4,554 | 2.2% |
| Count | 7,614 | 7,559 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.58 | 2.53 | -2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sparrow bearers went from 7,614 to 7,559 (-0.7% change). The surname moved up 103 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,657 to #4,554.
FAQ
Sparrow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sparrow?
Name Census estimates that about 8,668 living Americans carry the surname Sparrow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,542 residents.
How common is Sparrow?
Sparrow ranks #4,554 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.53 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 7,559 people with the surname Sparrow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,668), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.53 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 Sparrow.
Has Sparrow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sparrow went from 7,614 recorded bearers to 7,559. That is a decrease of 55 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,657 to #4,554.
What does the Census say about the background of Sparrow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sparrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.8%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Sparrow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.8% (5,124 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sparrow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.8%), Black (23.6%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Sparrow (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 Sparrow mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who caught sparrows or a nickname for a small, lively person. 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 Sparrow (2.53 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 share the surname Sparrow?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.