2000
#3,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,886
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.04
Uncommon Last name
Sommers
Derived from Old French, an occupational surname for a summoner or process server employed by courts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,051 Americans carry the last name Sommers. That puts it at #3,078 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,263 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sommers 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 Sommers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,263
Census rank
#3,078
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,381 bearers of the surname Sommers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3078th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sommers, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sommers
The surname Sommers has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "sumer," which means summer, indicating that the initial bearers of this name might have been born during the summer months or lived in an area known for its warm summers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Sommers name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the German region, where a certain "Heinrich Sommer" is mentioned in a document dated 1274.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Sommers name appeared in various German regions, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. It was often associated with occupations related to agriculture or seasonal work, as the summer was a crucial time for farming activities.
In the late 15th century, a notable figure named Hans Sommers (1457-1521) was a renowned German painter and engraver, known for his contributions to the Renaissance art movement in Germany.
As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Sommer, Somers, and Sommers. In England, the name Somers can be traced back to the 16th century, with records showing a John Somers (1551-1610) who served as a member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another prominent individual with the Sommers surname was Johann Sommers (1642-1701), a German composer and organist who made significant contributions to the Baroque music era.
In the 18th century, the Sommers name gained recognition in the Netherlands, with Jan Sommers (1779-1849) being a renowned Dutch landscape painter and etcher.
As migration patterns increased, the Sommers surname spread to other parts of the world, including the United States and Canada. One notable American figure was Benjamin Sommers (1817-1892), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Pennsylvania.
Throughout its history, the Sommers surname has been associated with various occupations, from agriculture and artistry to business and politics, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of its bearers across different regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sommers
Among Census respondents with the surname Sommers, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sommers 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 Sommers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 10,371
- Two or more races3.1% · 352
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 306
- Black or African American1.8% · 204
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 66
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sommers
Sommers 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
#3,063
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,706
+820 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 3.97
Rank movement Down 13 places
2020
#3,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,381
-325 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 3.81
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,050 | 10,886 | 4.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,063 | 11,706 | 3.97 | +820 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 13 places |
| 2020 | #3,078 | 11,381 | 3.81 | -325 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 15 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 Sommers 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 | #3,063 | #3,078 | -0.5% |
| Count | 11,706 | 11,381 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.97 | 3.81 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sommers bearers went from 11,706 to 11,381 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,063 to #3,078.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sommers
FAQ
Sommers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sommers?
Name Census estimates that about 13,051 living Americans carry the surname Sommers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,263 residents.
How common is Sommers?
Sommers ranks #3,078 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.81 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 11,381 people with the surname Sommers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,051), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.81 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 Sommers.
Has Sommers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sommers went from 11,706 recorded bearers to 11,381. That is a decrease of 325 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,063 to #3,078.
What does the Census say about the background of Sommers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sommers, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Sommers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (10,371 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sommers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Sommers (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 Sommers mean?
Derived from Old French, an occupational surname for a summoner or process server employed by courts. 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 Sommers (3.81 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 Sommers?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.