2000
#9,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Sonnenberg
A German toponymic surname referring to someone who lived on or near a sunny mountain or hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,210 Americans carry the last name Sonnenberg. That puts it at #10,874 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,777 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sonnenberg 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
3.2K
1 in 106,777
Census rank
#10,874
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,799 bearers of the surname Sonnenberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10874th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sonnenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sonnenberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Sonnenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sonnenberg 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 Sonnenberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 2,568
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 105
- Two or more races2.9% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 18
- Black or African American0.5% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sonnenberg
Sonnenberg 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
#9,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,229
+116 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 411 places
2020
#10,874
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,799
-430 bearers (-13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 885 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,578 | 3,113 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,989 | 3,229 | 1.09 | +116 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 411 places |
| 2020 | #10,874 | 2,799 | 0.94 | -430 bearers (-13.3%) | Down 885 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 Sonnenberg 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 | #9,989 | #10,874 | -8.9% |
| Count | 3,229 | 2,799 | -13.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 0.94 | -14.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sonnenberg bearers went from 3,229 to 2,799 (-13.3% change). The surname moved down 885 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,989 to #10,874.
FAQ
Sonnenberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sonnenberg?
Name Census estimates that about 3,210 living Americans carry the surname Sonnenberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,777 residents.
How common is Sonnenberg?
Sonnenberg ranks #10,874 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,799 people with the surname Sonnenberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,210), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sonnenberg.
Has Sonnenberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sonnenberg went from 3,229 recorded bearers to 2,799. That is a decrease of 430 (-13.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,989 to #10,874.
What does the Census say about the background of Sonnenberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sonnenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Sonnenberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (2,568 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sonnenberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Sonnenberg (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 Sonnenberg mean?
A German toponymic surname referring to someone who lived on or near a sunny mountain or hill. 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 Sonnenberg (0.94 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 common is the surname Sonnenberg?
Want to know how many people have the surname Sonnenberg? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.