Where do my sign ups come from.

If “Anyone can register” is checked at Dashboard > Settings > General, then anyone who knows the usual login link does not need to find any button to register.

Ok so I understand about the general settings and anyone can log in as a subscriber. I don’t see how they get to that point. As subscribers they can read only correct? I am on the subscriber list and I get notified with each post so can I assume the other people do also. My biggest question is why the sudden influx of subscribers. I am getting 2 or 3 daily. I never had that volume before.

Log out of your site or use a private browser tab and add this to your site’s URL and see where you land: wp-login.php?action=register

Yes, registered users at the Subscriber level can only read, but that does not necessarily mean you need to have them there so they can put links and whatever else in their profiles at your site.

My biggest question is why the sudden influx of subscribers.

Someone apparently tried, and now maybe the word is getting around! I really have no idea, but I use Wordfence Security to occasionally check my 404s (as well as to do other things, of course) and I see all kinds of attempts to do things I did not set my site up to do.

Some of these could be bots registering on your website, simple captcha methods can be cracked by bots.

I tried that log in and like you said it went to my log in. So I went and changed the password and deleted all subscribers from that list. Since I started the site I only have about 10 and they join through Subscribe2. Thank you for the help. Hopefully this takes care of it.