2000
#71,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 254
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Sonnichsen
A German surname derived from the words "Sonne" meaning sun and "ich sen" meaning I see, referring to someone living near a sunny field or meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 310 Americans carry the last name Sonnichsen. That puts it at #76,719 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,105,659 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sonnichsen 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
310
1 in 1,105,659
Census rank
#76,719
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
270
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 270 bearers of the surname Sonnichsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 76719th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sonnichsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sonnichsen
The surname SONNICHSEN is of German origin, specifically from the northern regions of Germany and Denmark. It likely dates back to the 16th or 17th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old German words "sunne" meaning "sun" and "hausen" meaning "to dwell" or "to live." This suggests the name may have originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived in a particularly sunny area or a place name referencing the sun.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SONNICHSEN can be found in the parish records of the town of Rendsburg, in the historical region of Holstein, which was part of Denmark until 1864. An entry from 1632 mentions a Johann Sonnichsen, a farmer and landowner in the area.
In the late 17th century, a merchant named Hans Sonnichsen is mentioned in the records of the city of Hamburg, a major trading center in northern Germany. He was involved in the import and export of goods between Hamburg and other Baltic ports.
During the 18th century, the name SONNICHSEN appeared in various records and documents across northern Germany and Denmark. Notable individuals from this period include Claus Sonnichsen (1712-1788), a respected Lutheran pastor in the town of Itzehoe, and Matthias Sonnichsen (1729-1801), a renowned clockmaker and inventor from the city of Flensburg.
In the 19th century, the SONNICHSEN name gained prominence with the birth of Albert Sonnichsen (1836-1912), a German-American journalist and author who immigrated to the United States in 1858. He became a prominent figure in the German-American community and wrote extensively on cultural and political issues.
Another notable figure was Carl Sonnichsen (1901-1991), an American author and historian who wrote extensively about the American Southwest and the history of the region's Native American tribes. He was born in Waco, Texas, to German immigrant parents.
Throughout its history, the surname SONNICHSEN has been associated with various occupations and professions, including farmers, merchants, clergy, artists, and writers. While the name has its roots in northern Germany and Denmark, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, carried by migration and immigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sonnichsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Sonnichsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Sonnichsen 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 Sonnichsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 251
- Two or more races3.0% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sonnichsen
Sonnichsen 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
#69,793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 281
+27 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 1,817 places
2020
#76,719
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 270
-11 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 6,926 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #71,610 | 254 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #69,793 | 281 | 0.10 | +27 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 1,817 places |
| 2020 | #76,719 | 270 | 0.09 | -11 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 6,926 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 Sonnichsen 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 | #69,793 | #76,719 | -9.9% |
| Count | 281 | 270 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.09 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sonnichsen bearers went from 281 to 270 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 6,926 positions in the national ranking, going from #69,793 to #76,719.
FAQ
Sonnichsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sonnichsen?
Name Census estimates that about 310 living Americans carry the surname Sonnichsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,105,659 residents.
How common is Sonnichsen?
Sonnichsen ranks #76,719 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 270 people with the surname Sonnichsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (310), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Sonnichsen.
Has Sonnichsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sonnichsen went from 281 recorded bearers to 270. That is a decrease of 11 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #69,793 to #76,719.
What does the Census say about the background of Sonnichsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sonnichsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Sonnichsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (251 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sonnichsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Sonnichsen (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 Sonnichsen mean?
A German surname derived from the words "Sonne" meaning sun and "ich sen" meaning I see, referring to someone living near 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 Sonnichsen (0.09 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 Sonnichsen?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.