# Sinclair (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/sinclair/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A Scottish surname transferred from the given name, that of a clan.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 27,243 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,290 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 11,333 people |
| Change since 2000 | +4.7% (26,014 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /sɪŋˈklɛəɹ/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Sinclaire, Sinclare, Sinclar |

## Etymology

Derived from Saint Clare, to whom the clan's churches were dedicated.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Sinclair in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 73% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 20% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 3.8% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 1.9% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Sinclair in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.

## People named Sinclair

- Upton Sinclair, American writer (1878–1968)
- Jaz Sinclair, American actress
- David A. Sinclair, Australian biologist and geneticist
- Richard Sinclair, British bassist
- John Sinclair, American poet (1941–2024)
- Jim Sinclair, autism rights activist
- Joshua Sinclair, American writer, actor and director
- Stephanie Sinclair, American photojournalist
- Jonathan Sinclair, British diplomat (1970- )
- Ian Sinclair, American voice actor
- John Sinclair, Australian environmentalist
- Vin Diesel, American actor (born 1967)

and 2 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Sinkler, Singletary, Singleton, Sanmiguel, Shanklin, Shankle, Swingle, Singley, Senecal, Shinkle, Shingleton, Samsel.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.