2000
#5,950
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,327
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.97
Rare Last name
Sandifer
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "sandy pasture" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,132 Americans carry the last name Sandifer. That puts it at #6,142 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,896 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sandifer 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sandifer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.1K
1 in 55,896
Census rank
#6,142
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,347 bearers of the surname Sandifer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6142nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sandifer, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.3%. The next largest groups are Black (36.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sandifer
The surname Sandifer is believed to have originated in England, with the earliest records dating back to the early 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "sand" and "fær," meaning "sandy traveler" or "one who journeys through sandy regions."
The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Cornwall, Devon, and Somerset, where the terrain is characterized by sandy soils and coastal regions. Some historians suggest that the name may have been borne by individuals who lived or worked in these sandy areas, perhaps as traders or travelers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1230, where a person named William Sandifer is mentioned. This document provides evidence of the name's existence in medieval England.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Feet of Fines for Cornwall, a legal record of land transactions, further cementing its presence in the region. The entry mentions a John Sandifer who was involved in a property dispute.
By the 16th century, the name had spread to other parts of England, with records showing variations such as Sandyford and Sandyforth. This suggests that the name may have evolved from a place name or a descriptive reference to a person's occupation or location.
Notable individuals with the surname Sandifer include:
1. John Sandifer (c. 1580-1644), an English clergyman and author who served as the vicar of Ipswich.
2. William Sandifer (1692-1768), a prominent merchant and landowner in colonial Virginia.
3. Mary Sandifer (1734-1810), an American Revolutionary War heroine who helped defend a fort against British forces in South Carolina.
4. James Sandifer (1798-1879), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.
5. Elizabeth Sandifer (1842-1918), an American educator and activist who championed women's rights and founded a school in Tennessee.
While the name Sandifer has evolved over the centuries and spread to various parts of the world, its origins can be traced back to the sandy regions of southwestern England, where it likely originated as a descriptive name for individuals associated with those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sandifer
Among Census respondents with the surname Sandifer, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.3%. The next largest groups are Black (36.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sandifer 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 Sandifer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.3% · 2,959
- Black or African American36.8% · 1,967
- Two or more races4.4% · 233
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 156
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sandifer
Sandifer 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
#5,949
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,786
+459 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 1.96
Rank movement Up 1 places
2020
#6,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,347
-439 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.79
Rank movement Down 193 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,950 | 5,327 | 1.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,949 | 5,786 | 1.96 | +459 bearers (+8.6%) | Up 1 places |
| 2020 | #6,142 | 5,347 | 1.79 | -439 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 193 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 Sandifer 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 | #5,949 | #6,142 | -3.2% |
| Count | 5,786 | 5,347 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.96 | 1.79 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sandifer bearers went from 5,786 to 5,347 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 193 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,949 to #6,142.
FAQ
Sandifer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sandifer?
Name Census estimates that about 6,132 living Americans carry the surname Sandifer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,896 residents.
How common is Sandifer?
Sandifer ranks #6,142 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,347 people with the surname Sandifer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Sandifer.
Has Sandifer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sandifer went from 5,786 recorded bearers to 5,347. That is a decrease of 439 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,949 to #6,142.
What does the Census say about the background of Sandifer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sandifer, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.3%. The next largest groups are Black (36.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Sandifer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.3% (2,959 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sandifer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.3%), Black (36.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Sandifer (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 Sandifer mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "sandy pasture" in Old English. 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 Sandifer (1.79 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 share the surname Sandifer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.