2000
#24,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 979
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.36
Rare Last name
Sorce
A surname possibly derived from a place name or occupational reference.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,108 Americans carry the last name Sorce. That puts it at #26,580 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 309,345 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sorce 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
1.1K
1 in 309,345
Census rank
#26,580
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
966
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 966 bearers of the surname Sorce in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 26580th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sorce, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sorce
The surname Sorce has its origins in Italy, specifically in the regions of Sicily and Calabria, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Italian word "sorcia," which means "mouse" or "rat." This could suggest that the name may have initially been a nickname or descriptive name for someone who resembled a mouse or was associated with these small rodents.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sorce can be found in Sicilian records from the late 13th century, where a person named Guglielmo Sorce is mentioned. However, the name likely existed even earlier, as surnames were not widely adopted in Italy until the late Middle Ages.
The Sorce surname is also linked to various place names in Sicily and Calabria, such as Sorce, a small town in the province of Messina, and Sorcio, a village in the province of Vibo Valentia. These place names may have influenced the spelling and spread of the surname in these regions.
In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Sorce was Pietro Sorce, a renowned poet and scholar from Palermo, Sicily, who lived from around 1420 to 1490. His works, which included sonnets and other poetic compositions, contributed to the literary culture of the time.
Another significant individual with the Sorce surname was Giacomo Sorce, a Sicilian painter who lived from 1533 to 1604. He was known for his religious works and frescoes that adorned various churches in Sicily.
In the 18th century, Tommaso Sorce, a Sicilian architect and engineer, made significant contributions to the urban landscape of Palermo. He was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings and structures in the city, including the Palazzo Valguarnera and the Fontana della Vergogna (Fountain of Shame).
Moving into the 19th century, Vincenzo Sorce, a Sicilian botanist and naturalist, gained recognition for his extensive research on the flora of Sicily. He authored several works on the subject, including "Flora Sicula" (Sicilian Flora), published in 1858.
Finally, in the 20th century, Giuseppe Sorce, a Sicilian writer and journalist, made his mark with his literary works and contributions to various newspapers and magazines. He was born in 1904 and passed away in 1982, leaving behind a significant body of work that explored Sicilian culture and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sorce
Among Census respondents with the surname Sorce, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sorce 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 Sorce surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 905
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 30
- Two or more races2.0% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 3
- Black or African American0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sorce
Sorce 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
#26,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 943
-36 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Down 1,971 places
2020
#26,580
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 966
+23 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Down 572 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,037 | 979 | 0.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #26,008 | 943 | 0.32 | -36 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 1,971 places |
| 2020 | #26,580 | 966 | 0.32 | +23 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 572 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 Sorce 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 | #26,008 | #26,580 | -2.2% |
| Count | 943 | 966 | 2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.32 | 0.32 | 1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sorce bearers went from 943 to 966 (+2.4% change). The surname moved down 572 positions in the national ranking, going from #26,008 to #26,580.
FAQ
Sorce surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sorce?
Name Census estimates that about 1,108 living Americans carry the surname Sorce. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 309,345 residents.
How common is Sorce?
Sorce ranks #26,580 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.32 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 966 people with the surname Sorce. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,108), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.32 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 Sorce.
Has Sorce become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sorce went from 943 recorded bearers to 966. That is an increase of 23 (+2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #26,008 to #26,580.
What does the Census say about the background of Sorce?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sorce, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Sorce in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (905 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sorce appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Sorce (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 Sorce mean?
A surname possibly derived from a place name or occupational reference. 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 Sorce (0.32 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 people have the surname Sorce?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.