2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Syberg
A topographic surname derived from a Swedish placename indicating a small hill or earthwork.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Syberg. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Syberg 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Syberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Syberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Syberg
The surname Syberg originated in Germany, likely around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "sib," meaning "family" or "kin," and the suffix "-berg," meaning "hill" or "mountain." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a family or clan residing on a particular hill or mountain region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Syberg can be found in the historical records of the city of Hamburg, where a merchant named Hans Syberg was documented in the late 15th century. In the 16th century, the Syberg name appeared in various church records and local registries across northern Germany, particularly in the regions of Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony.
During the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the Syberg surname was Johannes Syberg, a Lutheran theologian and author who lived from 1592 to 1654. He wrote several influential works on theology and biblical exegesis, contributing to the intellectual discourse of the Protestant Reformation.
In the 18th century, the name Syberg was associated with several noteworthy individuals, including Carl Friedrich Syberg (1717-1793), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor of law at the University of Göttingen. Another prominent figure was Johann Syberg (1736-1810), a German composer and organist who made significant contributions to the development of church music.
Moving into the 19th century, one of the most renowned individuals with the Syberg surname was Friedrich Wilhelm Syberg (1811-1892), a German landscape painter known for his realistic depictions of the German countryside. His works were widely acclaimed and are now part of several prestigious art collections across Europe.
Additionally, the Syberg name was associated with several notable military figures during this period, including Carl Syberg (1823-1898), a Prussian general who served in the Franco-Prussian War, and Wilhelm Syberg (1857-1924), a German naval officer who achieved the rank of vice admiral in the Imperial German Navy.
While the surname Syberg has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, the historical records and notable figures mentioned above provide insights into the origins and evolution of this surname within the German cultural context.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Syberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Syberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Syberg 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 Syberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.3% · 107
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Syberg
Syberg 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+7 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,467 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-11 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,142 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 2,467 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 11,142 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 Syberg 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 | #138,304 | #149,446 | -8.1% |
| Count | 121 | 110 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Syberg bearers went from 121 to 110 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 11,142 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #149,446.
FAQ
Syberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Syberg?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Syberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Syberg?
Syberg ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Syberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Syberg.
Has Syberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Syberg went from 121 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Syberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Syberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Syberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Syberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.3%), Black (0.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Syberg (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 Syberg mean?
A topographic surname derived from a Swedish placename indicating a small hill or earthwork. 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 Syberg (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 have the surname Syberg?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.