2000
#10,873
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,690
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Sugg
An English occupational surname for a seller or maker of sugar, or someone who lived near a sugar house.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,867 Americans carry the last name Sugg. That puts it at #11,953 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,552 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sugg 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 Sugg with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 119,552
Census rank
#11,953
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,500 bearers of the surname Sugg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11953rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sugg, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Black (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sugg
The surname SUGG is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the southern counties of Sussex and Surrey. It is thought to derive from the Old English word "sugga," meaning a dry hollow or small valley, often found in place names in these areas.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname SUGG dates back to the 13th century, with a Roger Sugge mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by this time.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Surrey in 1332, where a John Sugge was listed. The different spellings, such as Sugge and Sugghe, were common during this period.
One of the earliest notable figures with the surname SUGG was Sir William Sugg, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in the 15th century. He was born in Sussex around 1420 and served as a member of Parliament for the county in 1449.
During the 16th century, the surname SUGG was found in several parish records across southern England. For example, a Thomas Sugg was baptized in the village of Southwick, Sussex, in 1572.
In the 17th century, the name SUGG appeared in various historical documents, including the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1662, where a John Sugg was listed as a resident of the parish of Hurstpierpoint in Sussex.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname SUGG was Sir Nicholas Sugg (1562-1628), a wealthy merchant and benefactor from London. He endowed several charitable institutions and was knighted by King James I in 1618.
Another notable figure was Captain John Sugg (1678-1757), a British naval officer who served during the War of the Spanish Succession and the War of the Austrian Succession. He was commended for his bravery in several battles.
The surname SUGG has also been associated with some place names, such as Suggitt's Lane in Sussex, which is believed to have been named after a local family with the surname in the 16th or 17th century.
Throughout history, the surname SUGG has been predominantly found in southern England, particularly in the counties of Sussex and Surrey, where it originated. While the name has spread to other parts of the country and beyond, its roots can be traced back to the Old English word "sugga" and the early settlers in these regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sugg
Among Census respondents with the surname Sugg, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Black (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sugg 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 Sugg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 2,243
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 76
- Black or African American3.0% · 75
- Two or more races2.9% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sugg
Sugg 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
#12,132
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,568
-122 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 1,259 places
2020
#11,953
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,500
-68 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 179 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,873 | 2,690 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,132 | 2,568 | 0.87 | -122 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 1,259 places |
| 2020 | #11,953 | 2,500 | 0.84 | -68 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 179 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 Sugg 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 | #12,132 | #11,953 | 1.5% |
| Count | 2,568 | 2,500 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.84 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sugg bearers went from 2,568 to 2,500 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 179 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,132 to #11,953.
FAQ
Sugg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sugg?
Name Census estimates that about 2,867 living Americans carry the surname Sugg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,552 residents.
How common is Sugg?
Sugg ranks #11,953 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,500 people with the surname Sugg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,867), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Sugg.
Has Sugg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sugg went from 2,568 recorded bearers to 2,500. That is a decrease of 68 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,132 to #11,953.
What does the Census say about the background of Sugg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sugg, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Black (3.0%). 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 Sugg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (2,243 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sugg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (3.0%), Black (3.0%). 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 Sugg (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 Sugg mean?
An English occupational surname for a seller or maker of sugar, or someone who lived near a sugar house. 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 Sugg (0.84 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 Sugg?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.