2000
#6,333
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,954
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.84
Rare Last name
Sorrentino
Derived from the Italian town of Sorrento, indicating someone from that area or having a connection to it.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,330 Americans carry the last name Sorrentino. That puts it at #6,965 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sorrentino 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 Sorrentino with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,307
Census rank
#6,965
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,648 bearers of the surname Sorrentino in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6965th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sorrentino, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sorrentino
The surname Sorrentino has its origins in the beautiful Sorrentine Peninsula of Campania, Italy. The name is derived from the town of Sorrento, which dates back to the 6th century BC and was a thriving center of the ancient Greek civilization. The name itself is believed to have evolved from the Latin word "surrentum," meaning "to rise."
The earliest recorded instances of the name Sorrentino can be traced back to the 11th century, with references found in various medieval documents and manuscripts from the region. One notable example is the Codice Diplomatico Normanno, a collection of Norman diplomatic documents, which mentions several individuals bearing the surname.
In the 13th century, a famous Sorrentino was Filippo Sorrentino, a renowned poet and philosopher from the city of Sorrento. His works explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition, and he was celebrated for his mastery of the Italian vernacular. Another notable figure from this period was Giovanni Sorrentino, a skilled architect who contributed to the construction of several churches and monasteries in the region.
During the Renaissance, the Sorrentino family played a significant role in the artistic and cultural life of the Sorrentine Peninsula. Leonardo Sorrentino, born in 1485, was a renowned painter whose works adorned many of the churches and noble residences in the area. His masterpiece, the "Annunciation," is still displayed in the Chiesa di San Francesco in Sorrento.
In the 18th century, Tommaso Sorrentino, a renowned scholar and theologian, gained recognition for his contributions to the study of ecclesiastical history and canon law. His extensive writings were widely circulated throughout Europe and influenced many of his contemporaries.
The 19th century saw the rise of Raffaele Sorrentino, a prominent politician and statesman who played a crucial role in the unification of Italy. Born in 1817, he served as a member of the Italian Parliament and was a vocal advocate for the rights of the people of Sorrento and the surrounding regions.
Throughout its history, the Sorrentino surname has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds, including artists, scholars, politicians, and religious figures. While the name has its roots in the Sorrentine Peninsula, bearers of this surname can be found in various parts of Italy and across the globe, a testament to the rich cultural heritage and legacy of this ancient Italian name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sorrentino
Among Census respondents with the surname Sorrentino, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Sorrentino 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 Sorrentino surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 4,208
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 289
- Two or more races2.1% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 30
- Black or African American0.4% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sorrentino
Sorrentino 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
#6,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,956
+2 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Down 472 places
2020
#6,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,648
-308 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 160 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,333 | 4,954 | 1.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,805 | 4,956 | 1.68 | +2 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 472 places |
| 2020 | #6,965 | 4,648 | 1.56 | -308 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 160 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 Sorrentino 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 | #6,805 | #6,965 | -2.4% |
| Count | 4,956 | 4,648 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.68 | 1.56 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sorrentino bearers went from 4,956 to 4,648 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 160 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,805 to #6,965.
FAQ
Sorrentino surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sorrentino?
Name Census estimates that about 5,330 living Americans carry the surname Sorrentino. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,307 residents.
How common is Sorrentino?
Sorrentino ranks #6,965 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,648 people with the surname Sorrentino. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,330), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Sorrentino.
Has Sorrentino become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sorrentino went from 4,956 recorded bearers to 4,648. That is a decrease of 308 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,805 to #6,965.
What does the Census say about the background of Sorrentino?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sorrentino, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Sorrentino in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (4,208 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sorrentino appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (6.2%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Sorrentino (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 Sorrentino mean?
Derived from the Italian town of Sorrento, indicating someone from that area or having a connection to it. 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 Sorrentino (1.56 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 Sorrentino?
Want to know how many people have the last name Sorrentino? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.