The Sutherland surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 29,585 people carried this name — #1,195 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 9,970 people counted. That is up 4% from 28,417 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Sutherland surname

A habitational surname from Old English.

The name of the county is from Old Norse Suðrland, from suðr (“south”) + land (“land”), named from the point of view of Orkney and Shetland. In some cases, the surname may represent the equivalent formation in Old English.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Sutherland» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 6 births for the Sutherland name in 1890.

Most were registered in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 2
Munster 2
Ulster 2

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 43 people named Sutherland live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 27
Santa Cruz 16

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

35 people named Sutherland live in Switzerland.

They live in 3 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 19
Vaud 13
Geneva 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In the Nordic population registers

63 people named Sutherland are counted in Sweden and Finland.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 41
Finland (2026) 22

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In Scotland, 1880s

Sutherland was 10 in every 10,000 names in Scotland.

That is about 1 in 1,000. Its home there, in Guppy’s words: “North of Scotland.” He counted the more than 20,000 names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, taking Scotland as a whole, and listed only the names that reached 10 in every 10,000.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), appendix: alphabetical list of the most frequent Scottish names, p. 594 — public domain · names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, per 10,000 for the whole country.

In Scotland’s registers today

Sutherland was recorded 276 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 62nd most common name in those registers. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 440. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Sutherland in American newspapers,
1854–1901.

Newspaper page from Fergus County Argus carrying the name Sutherland
Fergus County Argus 1901-03-06
Newspaper page from Eastern Times carrying the name Sutherland
Eastern Times 1854-07-27
Newspaper page from The River Press carrying the name Sutherland
The River Press 1888-08-22

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 10,719 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Sutherland in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2010s.

188,414 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Sutherland. The most, 26,737, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 64,517
New South Wales 62,053
South Australia 23,021
Queensland 17,737
Western Australia 14,828
Tasmania 5,126
ACT (Canberra) 775
Northern Territory 95

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Sutherland.

Who carried it

People named Sutherland,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Jeannetta Catherine MacGregor
    Jeannetta Catherine MacGregor 1800–1883
  • Josiah Sutherland
    Josiah Sutherland 1804–1887 · judge
  • John Sutherland
    John Sutherland 1808–1891 · physician
  • Jabez G. Sutherland
    Jabez G. Sutherland 1825–1902 · judge
  • George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 3rd Duke of Sutherland
    George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 3rd Duke of Sutherland 1828–1892 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 206 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Sutherland,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States3,628 records

3,628 records of the Sutherland name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 943
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 787
  • Other U.S. records 1,898
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Reginald J. Sutherland

    Born 1948; from Hartsdale, New York. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1969 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam. Buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Ermine T. Sutherland

    Born 1910 in Massachusetts. Enlisted 1943 in the Women's Army Corps at Boston; barber. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1983, buried at Massachusetts National Cemetery, Massachusetts.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Elmer Sutherland

    Born 1920 in New Jersey. Enlisted 1942 at Camden; metal worker from Camden County. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Finn's Point National Cemetery, New Jersey.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 3,628 records for Sutherland in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain).

Australia4,708 records

4,708 records of the Sutherland name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 2,767
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 1,036
  • Other Australian records 905
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Elizabeth Sutherland

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Royal Admiral, sailing from London in 1842. Native of Leith, Midlothian. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1846. Married 1846 in Avoca, Tasmania, aged 27.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Ann Sutherland

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Atwick, sailing from London in 1837. Native of Leith, Midlothian. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1841. Married 1841 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 23.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Margaret Sutherland

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Westmoreland, sailing from Woolwich in 1836. Native of Glasgow, Lanarkshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1841. Married 1841 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 25.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 4,708 records for Sutherland in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada4,096 records

4,096 records of the Sutherland name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 3,644
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 142
  • Other Canadian records 310
  1. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Daniel Hugh Sutherland

    Served in the No. 2 Construction Battalion in the First World War, lieutenant-colonel; of River John, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Geo Sutherland

    Came to Ontario in 1872 aboard the St. Andrew, landing at Quebec, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; Scotch.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Donald Gordon Sutherland

    Buried in 1956 at Mount Hermon Cemetery, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, aged 60.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.

Showing 3 of 4,096 records for Sutherland in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Netherlands1,199 records

1,199 records of the Sutherland name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 573
  • Dutch population registers 551
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 75
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Charles Sutherland

    Married in 1852 in Vlissingen; shopkeeper. Died 1905 in Vlissingen, aged 79.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Johan Barthold George Sutherland

    Married in 1911 in Arnhem; office clerk. Died 1957 in Velp, aged 72.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Wijntje Elisabeth Sutherland

    Married in 1877 in Leeuwarden. Died 1917 in Leeuwarden, aged 67.

    Open Archives, AlleFriezen (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,199 records for Sutherland in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

United Kingdom349 records

349 records of the Sutherland name in the United Kingdom
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 137
  • Stirling Council burial records 127
  • Other British records 85
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Andrew Sutherland

    Born 1895 at Dallas; farmer. Died 1917. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921). Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917 (Australian Infantry).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain); National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Daniel Sutherland

    Born 1895 at Hopeman; fisherman. Died 1918. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921). Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918 (Seaforth Highlanders).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain); National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Charles Sutherland

    Born 1897 at Glasgow; shoemaker. Died 1918. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921). Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918 (Highland Light Infantry).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain); National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 349 records for Sutherland in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand166 records

166 records of the Sutherland name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 133
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 18
  • Other New Zealand records 15
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Geoffrey Thomas Alexander Sutherland

    Died 1991, aged 61; buried at Belfast Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Minnie Elizabeth Sutherland

    Died 1955, aged 83; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 166 records for Sutherland in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Canterbury Maps (Environment Canterbury), Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils (CC BY 3.0 NZ). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France3 records

3 records of the Sutherland name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Ian James Sutherland

    Born 1978 in Great Britain; died 1997 in Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans (Isère).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 1 of 3 records for Sutherland in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Sutherland.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Sutherland is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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