2000
#3,990
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,170
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.03
Rare Last name
Sorrell
A surname of French origin referring to someone with reddish hair or a ruddy complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,212 Americans carry the last name Sorrell. That puts it at #4,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,207 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sorrell 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 Sorrell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.2K
1 in 37,207
Census rank
#4,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,033 bearers of the surname Sorrell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sorrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sorrell
The surname Sorrell originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old French word 'sorel' meaning 'reddish-brown'. It likely referred to someone with reddish-brown hair or complexion. The name first appeared in records in the 12th century, with early spellings including Sorel, Sorrell, and Surrell.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1190, which mention a William Sorel. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also list several individuals bearing the surname Sorrell, indicating its presence in various parts of England at that time.
In the 14th century, the surname Sorrell appears in the Placita de Quo Warranto records of 1346, which document legal proceedings related to land ownership. This suggests that some Sorrell families held property and were of notable status during that era.
The Sorrell name has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir Ralph Sorrell, a 14th-century knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War and was appointed as a Justice of the Peace in Nottinghamshire in 1382.
In the 16th century, William Sorrell (c. 1535-1598) was a prominent English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Skinners in London. He served as the company's Master in 1589 and was involved in international trade.
During the English Civil War, Colonel William Sorrell (c. 1610-1677) was a Parliamentarian officer who fought alongside Oliver Cromwell and played a role in the capture of Berkhamsted Castle in 1643.
In the 18th century, Thomas Sorrell (1701-1770) was a renowned English landscape architect and garden designer. He worked on several notable projects, including the gardens at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire.
Another noteworthy bearer of the Sorrell surname was Sir Arthur Sorrell (1871-1960), a British military officer who served in World War I and later became Chief of the Imperial General Staff in the 1930s.
The surname Sorrell has also been linked to various place names in England, such as Sorrell Barn in Hertfordshire and Sorrell's Moor in Northumberland, further highlighting its deep roots in the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sorrell
Among Census respondents with the surname Sorrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Sorrell 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 Sorrell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.2% · 5,963
- Black or African American15.6% · 1,251
- Two or more races4.6% · 368
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 220
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 183
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 48
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sorrell
Sorrell 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
#4,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,641
+471 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 2.93
Rank movement Down 114 places
2020
#4,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,033
-608 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 2.69
Rank movement Down 165 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,990 | 8,170 | 3.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,104 | 8,641 | 2.93 | +471 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 114 places |
| 2020 | #4,269 | 8,033 | 2.69 | -608 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 165 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 Sorrell 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 | #4,104 | #4,269 | -4.0% |
| Count | 8,641 | 8,033 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.93 | 2.69 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sorrell bearers went from 8,641 to 8,033 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 165 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,104 to #4,269.
FAQ
Sorrell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sorrell?
Name Census estimates that about 9,212 living Americans carry the surname Sorrell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,207 residents.
How common is Sorrell?
Sorrell ranks #4,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,033 people with the surname Sorrell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,212), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Sorrell.
Has Sorrell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sorrell went from 8,641 recorded bearers to 8,033. That is a decrease of 608 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,104 to #4,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Sorrell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sorrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Sorrell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.2% (5,963 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sorrell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.2%), Black (15.6%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Sorrell (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 Sorrell mean?
A surname of French origin referring to someone with reddish hair or a ruddy complexion. 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 Sorrell (2.69 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 Sorrell?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Sorrell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.