2000
#7,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,193
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.55
Rare Last name
Sutphin
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "south fen or marsh."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,452 Americans carry the last name Sutphin. That puts it at #8,164 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,989 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sutphin 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.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,989
Census rank
#8,164
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,882 bearers of the surname Sutphin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8164th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sutphin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sutphin
The surname Sutphin has its origins in England, emerging in the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "sūth" meaning south and "tūn" meaning town or village, suggesting that the name was originally a locational surname for someone who hailed from a southern town or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1279, which mentions a William de Suthtun. This early spelling variation further reinforces the connection to the Old English words and the locational nature of the surname.
During the 14th century, the name appeared in various manorial records and tax rolls across southern England, with spellings such as Suthton, Sutton, and Suttun. This diversity in spelling was common in the Middle Ages due to the lack of standardized orthography.
In the 15th century, the surname Sutphin began to emerge more prominently in historical records. One notable figure from this period was John Sutphin, a merchant and alderman in the city of London, who lived from around 1420 to 1490.
As the centuries progressed, the name continued to spread across England, with pockets of Sutphin families emerging in various regions. In the 17th century, a prominent bearer of the name was Sir John Sutphin, a Member of Parliament and landowner in Lincolnshire, who lived from 1625 to 1688.
Another significant figure was Thomas Sutphin, a clergyman and author who was born in Oxfordshire in 1642 and served as the Rector of Weston Longville in Norfolk until his death in 1712. His published works include theological treatises and sermons.
Moving into the 18th century, we find references to William Sutphin, a successful merchant and shipowner from Bristol, who lived from 1720 to 1789. His business ventures took him across the Atlantic, and he is believed to have been one of the first Sutphins to settle in the American colonies.
In the 19th century, the name Sutphin gained recognition through the accomplishments of Edward Sutphin, a renowned architect born in Somerset in 1810. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the prestigious Reform Club.
While the Sutphin surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by migration and the legacy of those who bore the name throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sutphin
Among Census respondents with the surname Sutphin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sutphin 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 Sutphin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 3,498
- Two or more races4.0% · 155
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 104
- Black or African American2.2% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sutphin
Sutphin 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
#7,904
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,188
-5 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 584 places
2020
#8,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,882
-306 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 260 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,320 | 4,193 | 1.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,904 | 4,188 | 1.42 | -5 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 584 places |
| 2020 | #8,164 | 3,882 | 1.30 | -306 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 260 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 Sutphin 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 | #7,904 | #8,164 | -3.3% |
| Count | 4,188 | 3,882 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.42 | 1.30 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sutphin bearers went from 4,188 to 3,882 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 260 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,904 to #8,164.
FAQ
Sutphin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sutphin?
Name Census estimates that about 4,452 living Americans carry the surname Sutphin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,989 residents.
How common is Sutphin?
Sutphin ranks #8,164 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 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 3,882 people with the surname Sutphin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,452), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 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 Sutphin.
Has Sutphin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sutphin went from 4,188 recorded bearers to 3,882. That is a decrease of 306 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,904 to #8,164.
What does the Census say about the background of Sutphin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sutphin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (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 Sutphin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (3,498 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sutphin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (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 Sutphin (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 Sutphin mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "south fen or marsh." 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 Sutphin (1.30 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 are called Sutphin?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Sutphin, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.