2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Sydnes
A surname likely of Norwegian origin denoting someone residing in or near the south region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Sydnes. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sydnes 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Sydnes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sydnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sydnes
The surname SYDNES is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "sid" meaning wide or ample, and "ness" referring to a headland or promontory. It is believed to have originated in the coastal regions of southern England during the late Anglo-Saxon period, around the 9th or 10th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Sydnes" in reference to a landowner in the county of Kent. This suggests that the name was already well-established among the English nobility by the time of the Norman Conquest.
In the 12th century, a variant spelling "Sidnesse" appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, indicating the presence of the name in the west of England as well. During this period, the name may have been associated with individuals who lived near prominent headlands or coastal features.
By the 13th century, the spelling had evolved closer to its modern form, with records showing "Sydnesse" and "Sydnes" in various parts of England. Notable bearers of the name from this era include Robert de Sydnes, a landowner in Oxfordshire mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, and William Sydnes, a merchant from Bristol recorded in the city's trade records in 1284.
In the 14th century, the name continued to be found throughout England, with instances such as John Sydnes, a freeman of the City of London in 1365, and Margaret Sydnes, a landowner in Wiltshire mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1377.
During the 16th century, the SYDNES name appears to have been particularly concentrated in the southern counties of England. One notable figure from this period is Sir Thomas Sydnes, a Member of Parliament for Hampshire who lived from 1525 to 1597.
In the 17th century, the SYDNES surname spread further afield, with records showing bearers in various parts of England and Wales. This includes individuals such as Richard Sydnes, a merchant from Bristol who was involved in the transatlantic trade and was born in 1634, and Elizabeth Sydnes, a landowner in Pembrokeshire, Wales, who was born in 1671.
As the British Empire expanded in the 18th and 19th centuries, the SYDNES name was carried to various parts of the world by settlers and migrants. However, the name's origins can be traced back to its English roots and its association with coastal areas and headlands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sydnes
Among Census respondents with the surname Sydnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sydnes 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 Sydnes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 105
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sydnes
Sydnes 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
#123,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
+17 bearers (+13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 5,001 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-28 bearers (-20.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,869 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #123,796 | 139 | 0.05 | +17 bearers (+13.9%) | Up 5,001 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -28 bearers (-20.1%) | Down 24,869 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 Sydnes 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 | #123,796 | #148,665 | -20.1% |
| Count | 139 | 111 | -20.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -25.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sydnes bearers went from 139 to 111 (-20.1% change). The surname moved down 24,869 positions in the national ranking, going from #123,796 to #148,665.
FAQ
Sydnes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sydnes?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Sydnes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Sydnes?
Sydnes ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Sydnes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Sydnes.
Has Sydnes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sydnes went from 139 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 28 (-20.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #123,796 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Sydnes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sydnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (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 Sydnes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sydnes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (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 Sydnes (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 Sydnes mean?
A surname likely of Norwegian origin denoting someone residing in or near the south region. 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 Sydnes (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 Sydnes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.