2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sutcliff
A locational surname referring to someone from a southern cliff or hillside.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Sutcliff. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sutcliff 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 Sutcliff with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Sutcliff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sutcliff, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sutcliff
The surname SUTCLIFF originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, deriving from the Old English words "sūth" meaning south and "clif" referring to a cliff or steep slope. It was likely a topographic name initially describing someone who lived near a southern cliff or hillside.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Sudcliffe". This suggests the name was already well-established in parts of England by the 11th century.
Over time, various spelling variations emerged, such as Sutcliffe, Sutcliff, Sutcliffe, and Suttcliffe, with the modern form SUTCLIFF becoming more common from the 16th century onwards. The name was particularly prevalent in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire.
Notable individuals bearing the SUTCLIFF surname include Sir Thomas Sutcliffe (1532-1592), an English landowner and Sheriff of Yorkshire; Matthew Sutcliffe (1550-1629), an English academic and Dean of Exeter; John Sutcliffe (1752-1828), an English mechanical engineer and inventor; and Thomas Sutcliffe (1819-1888), a co-founder of the English town of Saltaire.
Another prominent figure was Denys Sutcliffe (1919-1994), a British military officer who served in World War II and later became a respected author and historian. His works include "The Battle of the Atlantic" and "The Saxon and Viking Kings".
The SUTCLIFF surname has a rich history spanning several centuries, originating as a descriptive name in the Anglo-Saxon period and gradually evolving into its modern form. Its earliest recorded instances can be traced back to the Domesday Book, demonstrating its long-standing presence in England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sutcliff
Among Census respondents with the surname Sutcliff, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sutcliff 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 Sutcliff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 110
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sutcliff
Sutcliff 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
+17 bearers (+14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 5,788 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-17 bearers (-12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,779 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | +17 bearers (+14.7%) | Up 5,788 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-12.8%) | Down 16,779 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 Sutcliff 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 | #128,249 | #145,028 | -13.1% |
| Count | 133 | 116 | -12.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sutcliff bearers went from 133 to 116 (-12.8% change). The surname moved down 16,779 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #145,028.
FAQ
Sutcliff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sutcliff?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Sutcliff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Sutcliff?
Sutcliff ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Sutcliff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Sutcliff.
Has Sutcliff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sutcliff went from 133 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 17 (-12.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Sutcliff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sutcliff, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Sutcliff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sutcliff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Sutcliff (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 Sutcliff mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a southern cliff or hillside. 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 Sutcliff (0.04 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 Sutcliff?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.