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

Sonnenberg, 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 Sonnenberg surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sonnenberg in America

Sonnenberg is the 9989th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sonnenberg surname appeared 3,229 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Sonnenberg.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sonnenberg 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 Sonnenberg

The surname Sonnenberg is of German origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is a compound word derived from the German words "sonne" meaning sun and "berg" meaning mountain or hill. This suggests that the name may have originated from a location or geographical feature situated on a sunny hill or mountain.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Sonnenberg name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of documents from the Principality of Anhalt, dating back to the 13th century. The Codex mentions a "Conradus de Sonnenberge" in the year 1284.

In the 15th century, the Sonnenberg name appears in various records from the region of Saxony, including a reference to a "Hans Sonnenberg" in the city of Leipzig in 1472. This suggests that the name was well-established in parts of central Germany during this period.

The Sonnenberg surname is also associated with several notable figures throughout history. One such individual was Johann Sonnenberg (1580-1647), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg.

Another notable Sonnenberg was Wilhelm Sonnenberg (1768-1835), a German sculptor and artist who gained recognition for his works in marble and bronze. His sculptures can be found in various museums and public spaces across Germany.

In the 19th century, the Sonnenberg name gained prominence in the field of music with the birth of Arthur Sonnenberg (1856-1922), a renowned German conductor and composer. He served as the director of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and composed several orchestral works and operas.

Another prominent figure with the Sonnenberg surname was Karl Sonnenberg (1872-1955), a German architect known for his work in the Art Nouveau and Expressionist styles. Some of his notable buildings can be found in the cities of Berlin and Potsdam.

The Sonnenberg name can also be traced back to various geographical locations in Germany, such as the town of Sonnenberg in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, and the Sonnenberg hill in the city of Chemnitz, Saxony.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sonnenberg

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

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 Sonnenberg 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 Sonnenberg 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 Sonnenberg was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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