Find out how popular the last name Sutherland is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sutherland.

Sutherland, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sutherland surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sutherland in America

Sutherland is the 1195th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sutherland surname appeared 29,585 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 10 people would have the surname Sutherland.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sutherland to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Sutherland

The surname Sutherland originates from Scotland and dates back to the 12th century. It is a territorial name derived from the county of Sutherland, which was once an independent kingdom in the far north of Scotland. The name is believed to have evolved from the Old Norse words "suðr" meaning "southern" and "land" referring to the region's location relative to the northernmost regions of Norway.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Chronicle of Melrose, which mentions Richard de Sutherlandia in the year 1211. Another early record is from the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1290, which lists William de Sutherland as a landowner in the county.

The Sutherland family played a significant role in Scottish history, with several members holding prestigious positions and titles. One notable figure was William de Sutherland, who was granted the title of Earl of Sutherland in 1235 by King Alexander II of Scotland. Another prominent member was John Sutherland (c. 1510-1567), who was appointed as the Bishop of Caithness in 1541.

In the 14th century, the Sutherland clan became embroiled in a long-standing feud with the neighboring Clan Sinclair, which resulted in numerous battles and conflicts over territorial disputes. This feud is referenced in various historical accounts and chronicles from that period.

During the Scottish Reformation in the 16th century, Alexander Sutherland (c. 1520-1594) was a notable supporter of the Protestant cause and served as a Lord of Session in the Scottish judiciary. Another notable figure was George Sutherland (1858-1942), a Scottish-born American lawyer and jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1922 to 1938.

Other historical figures with the Sutherland surname include John Sutherland (1805-1891), a British naval officer and explorer who surveyed and mapped parts of the Canadian Arctic, and Graham Sutherland (1903-1980), a renowned English painter and printmaker known for his abstract and surrealist works.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sutherland

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sutherland.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sutherland was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sutherland has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sutherland was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sutherland, please contact us.

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