2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sonnefeld
A locational surname for someone from a place with a sunny field or meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Sonnefeld. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sonnefeld 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.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Sonnefeld in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sonnefeld, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sonnefeld
The surname Sonnefeld has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German words "Sonne" meaning "sun" and "feld" meaning "field," indicating that the name likely originated from a place name referring to a sunny field or meadow.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Sonnefeld can be found in the historical records of the town of Erfurt, located in the present-day state of Thuringia, Germany. In a document from 1563, a certain Hans Sonnefeld is listed as a resident of the town.
The name Sonnefeld has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. In the 18th century, Johann Christoph Sonnefeld (1713-1786) was a renowned German astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
Another prominent figure with the surname Sonnefeld was Friedrich Sonnefeld (1801-1871), a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives in the mid-19th century.
In the realm of literature, Karl Sonnefeld (1832-1903) was a German writer and poet who gained recognition for his works exploring themes of nature and rural life.
Moving into the 20th century, Otto Sonnefeld (1876-1957) was a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the reconstruction efforts following World War II in cities like Berlin and Frankfurt.
Finally, a more recent figure with the surname Sonnefeld is the American business executive and investor, Barry Sonnenfeld (born 1953), who is best known for his work as a film director, most notably for the Men in Black and Addams Family movies.
While the surname Sonnefeld has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by individuals and families who have migrated and settled in different regions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sonnefeld
Among Census respondents with the surname Sonnefeld, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sonnefeld 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 Sonnefeld surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 114
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sonnefeld
Sonnefeld 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+12 bearers (+10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,292 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-5 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,062 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+10.8%) | Up 2,292 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 7,062 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 Sonnefeld 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 | #136,449 | #143,511 | -5.2% |
| Count | 123 | 118 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sonnefeld bearers went from 123 to 118 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 7,062 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #143,511.
FAQ
Sonnefeld surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sonnefeld?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Sonnefeld. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Sonnefeld?
Sonnefeld ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Sonnefeld. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Sonnefeld.
Has Sonnefeld become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sonnefeld went from 123 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Sonnefeld?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sonnefeld, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Sonnefeld in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sonnefeld appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Two or More Races (1.7%), Black (0.8%). 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 Sonnefeld (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 Sonnefeld mean?
A locational surname for someone from a place with a sunny field or meadow. 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 Sonnefeld (0.04 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 Sonnefeld?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.