2000
#1,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,705
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.90
Uncommon Last name
Sorensen
A patronymic surname of Danish origin meaning "son of Søren," derived from the Latin name Severinus, meaning "stern" or "severe."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 31,901 Americans carry the last name Sorensen. That puts it at #1,246 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,744 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sorensen 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sorensen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
32K
1 in 10,744
Census rank
#1,246
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 27,819 bearers of the surname Sorensen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1246th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sorensen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sorensen
The surname Sorensen originated in Denmark and is a patronymic name, meaning "son of Soren." The name Soren is derived from the Old Norse name Sörr, which is believed to be a shortened form of the name Sveinbiorn, meaning "bear cub." The name Sorensen first appeared in Danish records in the late 15th century.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Sorensen can be found in Danish parish records and census documents from the 16th and 17th centuries. During this time, the spelling variations included Sörensen, Sørensen, and Sørenssøn. The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Jutland and Zealand.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Sorensen was Hans Sorensen, a merchant who lived in Copenhagen in the late 16th century. Another notable figure was Jens Sorensen, a Danish explorer who accompanied Vitus Bering on his expedition to Alaska in 1741.
In the 19th century, the surname Sorensen became more widely dispersed as many Danes emigrated to other parts of the world, particularly the United States and Canada. One famous bearer of the name was Theodor Sorensen (1928-2010), an American lawyer and speechwriter for President John F. Kennedy.
Other notable individuals with the surname Sorensen include Maren Sofie Sorensen (1873-1950), a Norwegian author and feminist; Viggo Sorensen (1889-1986), a Danish sculptor; and Bjarne Stroustrup (born 1950), a Danish computer scientist known for creating the C++ programming language. His original surname was Sorensen, but he later changed it to Stroustrup.
The surname Sorensen has remained a common name in Denmark and other Scandinavian countries, as well as in areas with significant Danish populations, such as parts of the United States and Canada. It continues to be a recognizable Danish name with a long and rich history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sorensen
Among Census respondents with the surname Sorensen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Sorensen 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 Sorensen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 25,470
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 1,025
- Two or more races3.1% · 870
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 277
- Black or African American0.4% · 99
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 78
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sorensen
Sorensen 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
#1,251
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,069
+1,364 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 9.52
Rank movement Down 50 places
2020
#1,246
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,819
-250 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 9.31
Rank movement Up 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,201 | 26,705 | 9.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,251 | 28,069 | 9.52 | +1,364 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 50 places |
| 2020 | #1,246 | 27,819 | 9.31 | -250 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 5 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 Sorensen 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 | #1,251 | #1,246 | 0.4% |
| Count | 28,069 | 27,819 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 9.52 | 9.31 | -2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sorensen bearers went from 28,069 to 27,819 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,251 to #1,246.
FAQ
Sorensen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sorensen?
Name Census estimates that about 31,901 living Americans carry the surname Sorensen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,744 residents.
How common is Sorensen?
Sorensen ranks #1,246 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 27,819 people with the surname Sorensen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (31,901), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Sorensen.
Has Sorensen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sorensen went from 28,069 recorded bearers to 27,819. That is a decrease of 250 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,251 to #1,246.
What does the Census say about the background of Sorensen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sorensen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Sorensen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (25,470 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sorensen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Sorensen (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 Sorensen mean?
A patronymic surname of Danish origin meaning "son of Søren," derived from the Latin name Severinus, meaning "stern" or "severe." 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 Sorensen (9.31 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 Sorensen?
See how common the surname Sorensen is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.