2000
#10,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,700
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Sorg
A German occupational surname referring to a person who cares for or worries about others.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,061 Americans carry the last name Sorg. That puts it at #11,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,975 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sorg 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
3.1K
1 in 111,975
Census rank
#11,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,669 bearers of the surname Sorg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sorg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sorg
The surname SORG originated in Germany during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Middle High German word "sorge," which means "sorrow" or "worry." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone with a melancholic or troubled demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SORG can be found in the town of Nuremberg in the 14th century. A man named Hans Sorg was listed as a prominent merchant and guild member in the city's records from 1379.
In the 15th century, the name SORG appeared in various parts of southern Germany, including Bavaria and Swabia. A notable individual from this time was Anton Sorg (1428-1492), a renowned printer and publisher who established one of the first printing presses in Augsburg.
The SORG surname also has ties to several place names in Germany. For instance, the village of Sorgau in Saxony and the town of Sorgenloch in Rhineland-Palatinate may have derived their names from people bearing the SORG surname who lived in those areas.
During the 16th century, the name SORG spread to other regions of Europe. One notable figure was Paul Sorg (1493-1572), a German theologian and reformer who played a role in the Protestant Reformation.
In the 17th century, the SORG surname appeared in various records across Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Johann Sorg (1624-1688) was a notable Swiss theologian and professor at the University of Zurich during this period.
As the centuries progressed, the SORG name continued to be found throughout German-speaking regions, with individuals bearing this surname making contributions in various fields, such as art, literature, and academia.
Some other notable individuals with the surname SORG include:
- Gustav Sorg (1817-1888), a German painter and illustrator
- Ferdinand Sorg (1836-1923), a German-American industrialist and founder of the Sorg Brewing Company
- Otto Sorg (1880-1967), a German architect and urban planner
- Walter Sorg (1901-1985), a German film director and screenwriter
- Willy Sorg (1907-1975), a German footballer and coach
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sorg
Among Census respondents with the surname Sorg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sorg 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 Sorg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 2,475
- Two or more races3.3% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 22
- Black or African American0.5% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sorg
Sorg 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
#10,959
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,903
+203 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 122 places
2020
#11,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,669
-234 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 350 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,837 | 2,700 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,959 | 2,903 | 0.98 | +203 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 122 places |
| 2020 | #11,309 | 2,669 | 0.89 | -234 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 350 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 Sorg 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 | #10,959 | #11,309 | -3.2% |
| Count | 2,903 | 2,669 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.89 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sorg bearers went from 2,903 to 2,669 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 350 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,959 to #11,309.
FAQ
Sorg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sorg?
Name Census estimates that about 3,061 living Americans carry the surname Sorg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,975 residents.
How common is Sorg?
Sorg ranks #11,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 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 2,669 people with the surname Sorg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,061), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 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 Sorg.
Has Sorg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sorg went from 2,903 recorded bearers to 2,669. That is a decrease of 234 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,959 to #11,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Sorg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sorg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Sorg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (2,475 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sorg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Sorg (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 Sorg mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who cares for or worries about others. 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 Sorg (0.89 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 Sorg?
Find out how many people are called Sorg on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.