Find out how popular the last name Sonder is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sonder.

Sonder, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sonder surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sonder in America

Sonder is the 135593rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sonder surname appeared 124 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Sonder.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sonder to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Sonder

The surname Sonder is of German origin, first appearing in records from the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "sonder," meaning "separate" or "special." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived apart from others or held a unique position.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Sonder name can be found in the town of Freiburg im Breisgau, located in southwestern Germany. In a document from 1521, a certain Hans Sonder is mentioned as a resident of the town. This indicates that the name was already in use in the early 1500s.

By the 17th century, the Sonder name had spread to other parts of Germany, as well as to neighboring regions such as Switzerland and Austria. In 1643, a village called Sonderdorf (literally "Sonder village") is mentioned in a census record from the Duchy of Württemberg, suggesting that the name may have been associated with a specific place.

Several notable individuals have borne the Sonder surname throughout history. One of the earliest was Johann Sonder, a German composer and organist who lived from 1572 to 1638. He is best known for his compositions for the organ and his work as a church musician in the city of Nuremberg.

Another prominent figure was Friedrich Sonder, a German botanist born in 1810. He made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and is credited with describing numerous new species of plants, particularly those found in Australia and the Pacific region.

In the 20th century, Otto Sonder (1888-1951) was a German architect and urban planner who played a key role in the reconstruction of Berlin after World War II. His designs for residential and commercial buildings helped shape the city's modern landscape.

The Sonder name has also been associated with several places, such as Sondershausen, a town in the German state of Thuringia, and Sondrio, a city in northern Italy. These place names may have influenced the spelling or pronunciation of the surname in certain regions.

While the Sonder surname is relatively uncommon, it has a rich history dating back several centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including musicians, scientists, and architects.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sonder

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sonder.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sonder was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sonder has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sonder was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sonder, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!