2000
#7,415
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,144
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.54
Rare Last name
Suber
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of cork, derived from the Latin word "suber" meaning cork oak.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,763 Americans carry the last name Suber. That puts it at #7,684 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,962 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Suber 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
4.8K
1 in 71,962
Census rank
#7,684
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,154 bearers of the surname Suber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7684th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Suber, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.9%. The next largest groups are White (29.2%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Suber
The surname Suber is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old High German word "subar," which means "pure" or "clean." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname for someone who was considered virtuous or morally upright.
The earliest recorded instances of the Suber surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of what is now modern-day Germany. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Johannes Suber, a landowner and farmer who lived in the village of Thalheim, near the city of Würzburg, in the late 1200s.
In the 14th century, the Suber name began to appear in historical records and manuscripts across various parts of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. For example, a merchant named Heinrich Suber is mentioned in a trade document from the city of Nuremberg, dated 1367.
As the Suber family spread throughout Germany over the centuries, variations in spelling emerged, such as Suber, Süber, and Shuber. Some of these variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the phonetic preferences of different scribes.
One notable figure in the history of the Suber surname was Johann Suber, a prominent theologian and philosopher who lived in the early 16th century. Born in 1481 in the town of Mühlhausen, Suber was a contemporary of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
In the 17th century, the Suber name began to appear in records outside of Germany, as members of the family emigrated to other parts of Europe and beyond. For instance, Hans Suber, born in 1628 in Heidelberg, was among the first German settlers to establish a homestead in the Dutch colony of New Netherland (present-day New York) in the 1650s.
Another important figure bearing the Suber surname was Georg Suber, a renowned German composer and organist who lived from 1688 to 1753. Suber's contributions to the development of Baroque music earned him recognition throughout Europe during his lifetime.
As the Suber family continued to spread across different regions and countries, the name also became associated with various place names and geographic locations. For example, the village of Subersdorf in Bavaria is believed to have derived its name from early settlers with the Suber surname.
Overall, the surname Suber has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages in Germany, where it originated as a descriptive nickname for someone of virtuous character. Over the centuries, the name has been borne by notable individuals in various fields, and it has left its mark on numerous places and communities across Europe and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Suber
Among Census respondents with the surname Suber, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.9%. The next largest groups are White (29.2%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Suber 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 Suber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American61.9% · 2,570
- White29.2% · 1,214
- Two or more races4.9% · 205
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 138
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Suber
Suber 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
#7,404
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,495
+351 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Up 11 places
2020
#7,684
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,154
-341 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 280 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,415 | 4,144 | 1.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,404 | 4,495 | 1.52 | +351 bearers (+8.5%) | Up 11 places |
| 2020 | #7,684 | 4,154 | 1.39 | -341 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 280 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 Suber 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 | #7,404 | #7,684 | -3.8% |
| Count | 4,495 | 4,154 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 1.39 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Suber bearers went from 4,495 to 4,154 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 280 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,404 to #7,684.
FAQ
Suber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Suber?
Name Census estimates that about 4,763 living Americans carry the surname Suber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,962 residents.
How common is Suber?
Suber ranks #7,684 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.39 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 4,154 people with the surname Suber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,763), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.39 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 Suber.
Has Suber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Suber went from 4,495 recorded bearers to 4,154. That is a decrease of 341 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,404 to #7,684.
What does the Census say about the background of Suber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Suber, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.9%. The next largest groups are White (29.2%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Suber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.9% (2,570 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Suber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (61.9%), White (29.2%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Suber (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 Suber mean?
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of cork, derived from the Latin word "suber" meaning cork oak. 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 Suber (1.39 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 Suber?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Suber is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.