2000
#13,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,044
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Sutliff
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "south cliff" or "south slope."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,163 Americans carry the last name Sutliff. That puts it at #15,037 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 158,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sutliff 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 Sutliff with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 158,462
Census rank
#15,037
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,886 bearers of the surname Sutliff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15037th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sutliff, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sutliff
The surname Sutliff originated in England during the late medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name derived from a place called Sutliffe or Sutcliffe, which likely means "south cliff" or "southern cliff" in Old English. The earliest recorded spelling variations of this surname include Suttliffe, Sutliffe, Sutcliff, and Sutcliffe.
One of the earliest recorded references to this name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301, which mention a Richard de Sutcliffe. The Sutliff surname also appears in several Yorkshire parish records from the 16th and 17th centuries, indicating a strong historical connection to this region.
Notably, the Sutliff name is mentioned in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name's origins can be traced back to the 11th century or earlier.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the Sutliff surname. One of the earliest was John Sutliffe (c. 1592-1644), an English clergyman and author who served as the Dean of Exeter Cathedral. Another prominent figure was Robert Sutliff (1770-1845), an English Baptist minister and author who played a significant role in the Baptist missionary movement.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded Sutliffs was Thomas Sutliff (1693-1771), who emigrated from England to New Jersey in the early 1700s. His descendants went on to establish several notable family lines across the country. Another notable American with this surname was Solomon Sutliff (1816-1890), a prosperous businessman and philanthropist from New York.
Additionally, the Sutliff name has been associated with several places and landmarks throughout history. For example, Sutcliffe Wood in Yorkshire, England, and Sutliff Bridge in Iowa, United States, both bear the name's influence.
The Sutliff surname has a rich history spanning centuries, with its origins rooted in medieval England and a strong presence in Yorkshire. Despite various spelling variations over time, the name's meaning and significance have endured, reflecting the lives and contributions of numerous individuals who have carried this surname throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sutliff
Among Census respondents with the surname Sutliff, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sutliff 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 Sutliff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 1,754
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 60
- Two or more races2.7% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sutliff
Sutliff 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
#14,933
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,982
-62 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 1,315 places
2020
#15,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,886
-96 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,618 | 2,044 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,933 | 1,982 | 0.67 | -62 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 1,315 places |
| 2020 | #15,037 | 1,886 | 0.63 | -96 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 104 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 Sutliff 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 | #14,933 | #15,037 | -0.7% |
| Count | 1,982 | 1,886 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.63 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sutliff bearers went from 1,982 to 1,886 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 104 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,933 to #15,037.
FAQ
Sutliff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sutliff?
Name Census estimates that about 2,163 living Americans carry the surname Sutliff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 158,462 residents.
How common is Sutliff?
Sutliff ranks #15,037 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,886 people with the surname Sutliff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,163), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Sutliff.
Has Sutliff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sutliff went from 1,982 recorded bearers to 1,886. That is a decrease of 96 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,933 to #15,037.
What does the Census say about the background of Sutliff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sutliff, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Sutliff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (1,754 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sutliff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Sutliff (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 Sutliff mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "south cliff" or "south slope." 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 Sutliff (0.63 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 common is the surname Sutliff?
You can see how many people are called Sutliff on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.