2000
#1,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,599
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.49
Uncommon Last name
Singer
An occupational surname referring to a performer of vocal music or a tailor who specialized in making light clothing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 28,425 Americans carry the last name Singer. That puts it at #1,400 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,058 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Singer 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 Singer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,058
Census rank
#1,400
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,788 bearers of the surname Singer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1400th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Singer, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Singer
The surname SINGER has its origins in medieval German-speaking Europe, particularly in the regions that now comprise modern-day Germany and Austria. The name is an occupational surname, derived from the Middle High German word "singære," which means "one who sings." This term itself stems from the Old High German "singan," meaning "to sing."
In the Middle Ages, occupational surnames were commonly adopted by artisans, tradespeople, and professionals to identify their line of work. The surname SINGER likely emerged to distinguish individuals who were employed as singers, minstrels, or entertainers in courts, churches, or public venues.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname SINGER can be found in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a medieval manuscript from the 9th century, which mentions a certain "Singarius" in the Duchy of Saxony. Additionally, the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of Saxon charters and documents, includes references to individuals bearing the surname SINGER in the 12th and 13th centuries.
Notable historical figures who bore the surname SINGER include Johann SINGER (1490-1529), a German theologian and Protestant reformer who worked alongside Martin Luther; Georg SINGER (1564-1626), a German composer and organist; and Ignaz SINGER (1654-1712), an Austrian Baroque painter and etcher.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname SINGER was particularly prevalent in regions such as Saxony, Bavaria, and Austria, where it appeared in various local records and documents. For instance, the Bavarian town of Ingolstadt had a notable SINGER family, with members such as Georg SINGER (1564-1617), a renowned lawyer and academic.
Other notable individuals with the surname SINGER include Isaac Merritt SINGER (1811-1875), the American inventor and entrepreneur who founded the Singer Sewing Machine Company; and Peter SINGER (born 1946), an Australian moral philosopher and professor known for his work in practical ethics and animal rights advocacy.
Throughout history, the surname SINGER has undergone various spelling variations, including Sänger, Saenger, and Zaenger, reflecting regional linguistic differences and scribal variations in record-keeping. However, the core meaning and occupational origin of the name have remained consistent across different regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Singer
Among Census respondents with the surname Singer, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Singer 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 Singer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 21,743
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 869
- Two or more races3.0% · 754
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 642
- Black or African American2.2% · 545
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 235
Timeline
Historical Census data for Singer
Singer 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
#1,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,828
+229 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 8.76
Rank movement Down 105 places
2020
#1,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,788
-1,040 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 8.29
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,261 | 25,599 | 9.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,366 | 25,828 | 8.76 | +229 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 105 places |
| 2020 | #1,400 | 24,788 | 8.29 | -1,040 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 34 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 Singer 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 | #1,366 | #1,400 | -2.5% |
| Count | 25,828 | 24,788 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 8.76 | 8.29 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Singer bearers went from 25,828 to 24,788 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,366 to #1,400.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Singer
FAQ
Singer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Singer?
Name Census estimates that about 28,425 living Americans carry the surname Singer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,058 residents.
How common is Singer?
Singer ranks #1,400 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,788 people with the surname Singer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (28,425), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Singer.
Has Singer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Singer went from 25,828 recorded bearers to 24,788. That is a decrease of 1,040 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,366 to #1,400.
What does the Census say about the background of Singer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Singer, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Singer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (21,743 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Singer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Singer (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 Singer mean?
An occupational surname referring to a performer of vocal music or a tailor who specialized in making light clothing. 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 Singer (8.29 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 Americans have the surname Singer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.