2000
#2,826
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,624
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.31
Uncommon Last name
Sommer
An occupational surname referring to a person who worked as a pack-animal driver or hauler of goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,801 Americans carry the last name Sommer. That puts it at #3,151 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,776 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sommer 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 Sommer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,776
Census rank
#3,151
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,163 bearers of the surname Sommer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3151st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sommer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sommer
The surname Sommer has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the 12th century. It is derived from the German word "sommer," which means "summer." The name likely referred to someone who was born or lived near a location with a seasonal association, such as a summer pasture or a summer residence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sommer can be found in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a medieval cartulary compiled in the late 12th century by the Benedictine abbey of Corvey in Westphalia, Germany. The document mentions a certain "Hermannus dictus Sommer" (Hermann called Sommer) as a witness to a land transaction.
In the 13th century, the name Sommer appeared in various forms, such as "Sumer," "Sumere," and "Summere," reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. Several place names in Germany, such as Sommerhausen and Sommerfeld, may have contributed to the development of the surname.
Some notable historical figures with the surname Sommer include:
1. Johannes Sommer (c. 1542-1574), a German Renaissance composer and organist. He served as the court Kapellmeister in Denmark and is known for his sacred and secular compositions.
2. Hans Sommer (1548-1622), a German Renaissance painter and engraver from Nuremberg. He is best known for his portraits and religious scenes.
3. Johann Gottfried Sommer (1643-1719), a German jurist and legal scholar. He served as a professor of law at the University of Jena and published several works on Roman law.
4. Christian Sommer (1793-1859), a German author and poet. He wrote novels, plays, and poetry, and was associated with the Romantic movement.
5. Robert Sommer (1864-1937), a German psychologist and one of the founders of the field of environmental psychology. He conducted pioneering research on personal space and crowding.
The surname Sommer has been widely distributed across various regions of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries like Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, where German influence and migration patterns played a role in its dissemination.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sommer
Among Census respondents with the surname Sommer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sommer 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 Sommer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 10,295
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 362
- Two or more races2.4% · 272
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 93
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 93
- Black or African American0.4% · 48
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sommer
Sommer 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
#3,080
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,662
+38 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 3.95
Rank movement Down 254 places
2020
#3,151
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,163
-499 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 3.73
Rank movement Down 71 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,826 | 11,624 | 4.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,080 | 11,662 | 3.95 | +38 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 254 places |
| 2020 | #3,151 | 11,163 | 3.73 | -499 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 71 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 Sommer 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 | #3,080 | #3,151 | -2.3% |
| Count | 11,662 | 11,163 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.95 | 3.73 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sommer bearers went from 11,662 to 11,163 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 71 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,080 to #3,151.
FAQ
Sommer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sommer?
Name Census estimates that about 12,801 living Americans carry the surname Sommer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,776 residents.
How common is Sommer?
Sommer ranks #3,151 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,163 people with the surname Sommer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,801), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Sommer.
Has Sommer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sommer went from 11,662 recorded bearers to 11,163. That is a decrease of 499 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,080 to #3,151.
What does the Census say about the background of Sommer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sommer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Sommer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (10,295 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sommer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Sommer (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 Sommer mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who worked as a pack-animal driver or hauler of goods. 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 Sommer (3.73 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 have the last name Sommer?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Sommer, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.