2000
#7,137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,316
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.60
Rare Last name
Sunderland
From a place name meaning "sundered land," referring to land that is divided or separated from the mainland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,751 Americans carry the last name Sunderland. That puts it at #7,704 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,144 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sunderland 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 Sunderland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.8K
1 in 72,144
Census rank
#7,704
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,143 bearers of the surname Sunderland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7704th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sunderland, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sunderland
The surname Sunderland is of English origin, derived from the town of Sunderland in County Durham, England. The name Sunderland itself is thought to come from the Old English words "sunor" meaning "to divide" and "land", referring to the land divided or separated by the River Wear.
Sunderland is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Sunderlande", indicating the name's long history in the region. The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 13th century, with a John de Sunderland appearing in records from 1275.
In the 14th century, a William de Sunderland was listed in the Assize Rolls of Northumberland in 1344. The surname also appears in other medieval records, such as the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, where a Thomas de Sunderland is noted.
One notable bearer of the Sunderland name was Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland (1641-1702), a prominent statesman and politician during the reigns of Charles II, James II, and William III. Another was Henry Spencer, 1st Earl of Sunderland (1620-1643), who fought for the Parliamentarians during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland (1675-1722), served as Lord Privy Seal and Secretary of State for the Southern Department. His son, Robert Spencer, 4th Earl of Sunderland (1701-1781), was a noted patron of the arts and an influential figure in the Whig party.
Another prominent bearer of the Sunderland name was Samuel Sunderland (1628-1691), an English Puritan clergyman and author who served as a chaplain to Charles II and was known for his opposition to the Church of England's practices.
While the surname Sunderland originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, its roots can be traced back to the town of Sunderland in County Durham, where the name has been documented for centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sunderland
Among Census respondents with the surname Sunderland, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sunderland 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 Sunderland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 3,696
- Two or more races3.7% · 155
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 140
- Black or African American2.0% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sunderland
Sunderland 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
#7,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,387
+71 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Down 435 places
2020
#7,704
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,143
-244 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 132 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,137 | 4,316 | 1.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,572 | 4,387 | 1.49 | +71 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 435 places |
| 2020 | #7,704 | 4,143 | 1.39 | -244 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 132 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 Sunderland 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 | #7,572 | #7,704 | -1.7% |
| Count | 4,387 | 4,143 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.49 | 1.39 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sunderland bearers went from 4,387 to 4,143 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 132 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,572 to #7,704.
FAQ
Sunderland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sunderland?
Name Census estimates that about 4,751 living Americans carry the surname Sunderland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,144 residents.
How common is Sunderland?
Sunderland ranks #7,704 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 4,143 people with the surname Sunderland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,751), 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 Sunderland.
Has Sunderland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sunderland went from 4,387 recorded bearers to 4,143. That is a decrease of 244 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,572 to #7,704.
What does the Census say about the background of Sunderland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sunderland, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Sunderland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (3,696 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sunderland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Sunderland (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 Sunderland mean?
From a place name meaning "sundered land," referring to land that is divided or separated from the mainland. 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 Sunderland (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 have the surname Sunderland?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.