2000
#112,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Syre
A variant spelling of the surname Sayer, derived from the French word "sayere" meaning serge-weaver.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Syre. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Syre 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Syre in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Syre, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Syre
The surname SYRE is believed to have originated in England in the medieval period, specifically in the county of Lincolnshire. Its roots can be traced back to the Old English word "syr," which means "a small stream or creek."
This name was likely initially used as a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near a small stream or creek. The earliest recorded instances of the name SYRE date back to the 13th century, with references found in various tax rolls and parish records from Lincolnshire.
One notable historical reference to the name SYRE comes from the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were a survey of landholdings conducted during the reign of King Edward I. The Rolls mention a "William Syre" who held land in the village of Leadenham, Lincolnshire.
Another early record of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, which list a "John Syre" as a taxpayer in the village of Stickney, also in Lincolnshire. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of the county by the 14th century.
Over the centuries, the name SYRE has undergone various spelling variations, including Syre, Sier, and Sier. Some of these variations may have been influenced by the pronunciation of the name in different regions of England.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname SYRE was Thomas Syre, born around 1450 in Lincolnshire. He was a member of the local gentry and held land in the village of Heckington.
Another notable figure with the SYRE surname was John Syre, born in 1520 in Grantham, Lincolnshire. He was a successful merchant and served as the town's mayor in 1562.
In the 17th century, the SYRE name is recorded in the parish registers of St. Mary's Church in Stamford, Lincolnshire. One entry from 1634 mentions the baptism of a child named Elizabeth, daughter of William and Anne Syre.
The name SYRE also appears in the records of the nearby village of Ryhall, where a family with this surname is documented as living in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. One member of this family was Robert Syre, born in 1698, who worked as a blacksmith.
Another notable individual with the SYRE surname was William Syre, born in 1760 in Grantham. He was a successful businessman and served as a local magistrate. His grandson, also named William Syre (1820-1895), became a prominent banker and philanthropist in the town.
While the SYRE surname has its roots in Lincolnshire, it eventually spread to other parts of England and beyond. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period and the Old English word "syr," reflecting the topographical nature of many English surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Syre
Among Census respondents with the surname Syre, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Syre 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 Syre surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 104
- Two or more races7.6% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Syre
Syre 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
-9 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 13,653 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-17 bearers (-12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,770 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112,365 | 145 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | -9 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 13,653 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-12.5%) | Down 16,770 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 Syre 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 | #126,018 | #142,788 | -13.3% |
| Count | 136 | 119 | -12.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Syre bearers went from 136 to 119 (-12.5% change). The surname moved down 16,770 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #142,788.
FAQ
Syre surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Syre?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Syre. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Syre?
Syre ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Syre. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Syre.
Has Syre become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Syre went from 136 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 17 (-12.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Syre?
Among Census respondents with the surname Syre, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Syre in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Syre appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Two or More Races (7.6%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Syre (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 Syre mean?
A variant spelling of the surname Sayer, derived from the French word "sayere" meaning serge-weaver. 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 Syre (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 last name Syre?
Want to know how common the surname Syre is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.