2000
#24,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 976
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.36
Rare Last name
Sydow
A surname derived from a Swedish place name meaning "southern."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,077 Americans carry the last name Sydow. That puts it at #27,218 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 318,249 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sydow 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
1.1K
1 in 318,249
Census rank
#27,218
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
939
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 939 bearers of the surname Sydow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27218th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sydow, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sydow
The surname Sydow originates from the region of Pomerania in northern Germany and Poland. It likely derives from the Old Slavic word "sidlo" meaning "settlement" or "place of residence." The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th century in the town of Sydowshusen, now known as Siedliszcze in modern-day Poland.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Sydow was Heinrich Sydow, a merchant who lived in the city of Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland) in the late 15th century. In the 16th century, the name appeared in various records across Pomerania, including the town of Sydowshagen, now called Sidłowo in Poland.
During the 17th century, the Sydow family established itself as a prominent noble family in Pomerania. Notable members included Johann von Sydow (1597-1657), a Prussian military officer who served in the Thirty Years' War, and his son, Christoph von Sydow (1630-1688), who was a Prussian statesman and diplomat.
As the Sydow family spread across northern Germany and Poland, the name underwent several spelling variations, such as Sidow, Sieddau, and Seidow. One prominent individual with this surname was Friedrich Sydow (1786-1853), a German jurist and professor of law at the University of Berlin.
In the 19th century, the Sydow name gained recognition in the field of archaeology, with Ernst von Sydow (1812-1873) becoming a renowned archaeologist and curator of the Royal Museum of Berlin. His son, Waldemar von Sydow (1846-1925), followed in his footsteps and made significant contributions to the study of Scandinavian archaeology.
As the Sydow family dispersed across Europe and beyond, the name continued to be carried by notable individuals. For example, Eckart Sydow (1885-1923) was a German actor and film director during the early years of German cinema, while Ralf Sydow (1924-2008) was a German-American actor best known for his roles in American television series and films.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sydow
Among Census respondents with the surname Sydow, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Sydow 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 Sydow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 859
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 44
- Two or more races2.2% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sydow
Sydow 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
#25,083
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 990
+14 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Down 968 places
2020
#27,218
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 939
-51 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Down 2,135 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,115 | 976 | 0.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #25,083 | 990 | 0.34 | +14 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 968 places |
| 2020 | #27,218 | 939 | 0.31 | -51 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 2,135 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 Sydow 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 | #25,083 | #27,218 | -8.5% |
| Count | 990 | 939 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.34 | 0.31 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sydow bearers went from 990 to 939 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 2,135 positions in the national ranking, going from #25,083 to #27,218.
FAQ
Sydow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sydow?
Name Census estimates that about 1,077 living Americans carry the surname Sydow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 318,249 residents.
How common is Sydow?
Sydow ranks #27,218 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.31 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 939 people with the surname Sydow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,077), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.31 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 Sydow.
Has Sydow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sydow went from 990 recorded bearers to 939. That is a decrease of 51 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #25,083 to #27,218.
What does the Census say about the background of Sydow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sydow, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Sydow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (859 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sydow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Sydow (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 Sydow mean?
A surname derived from a Swedish place name meaning "southern." 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 Sydow (0.31 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 Sydow?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.