2000
#1,128
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,417
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.53
Uncommon Last name
Sutherland
From the southern lands or from the land south of a river, hill, or other natural feature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 32,865 Americans carry the last name Sutherland. That puts it at #1,206 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,429 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sutherland 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 Sutherland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
33K
1 in 10,429
Census rank
#1,206
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
29K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,660 bearers of the surname Sutherland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1206th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sutherland, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sutherland
Among Census respondents with the surname Sutherland, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Sutherland 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 Sutherland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.0% · 22,924
- Black or African American10.3% · 2,960
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 1,218
- Two or more races3.7% · 1,050
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 270
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 238
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sutherland
Sutherland 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
#1,195
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,585
+1,168 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 10.03
Rank movement Down 67 places
2020
#1,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,660
-925 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 9.59
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,128 | 28,417 | 10.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,195 | 29,585 | 10.03 | +1,168 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 67 places |
| 2020 | #1,206 | 28,660 | 9.59 | -925 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 11 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 Sutherland 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 | #1,195 | #1,206 | -0.9% |
| Count | 29,585 | 28,660 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 10.03 | 9.59 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sutherland bearers went from 29,585 to 28,660 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,195 to #1,206.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sutherland
FAQ
Sutherland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sutherland?
Name Census estimates that about 32,865 living Americans carry the surname Sutherland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,429 residents.
How common is Sutherland?
Sutherland ranks #1,206 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,660 people with the surname Sutherland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (32,865), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Sutherland.
Has Sutherland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sutherland went from 29,585 recorded bearers to 28,660. That is a decrease of 925 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,195 to #1,206.
What does the Census say about the background of Sutherland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sutherland, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Sutherland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (22,924 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sutherland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.0%), Black (10.3%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Sutherland (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 Sutherland mean?
From the southern lands or from the land south of a river, hill, or other natural feature. 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 Sutherland (9.59 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 Sutherland?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.