2000
#63,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 294
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Sondergaard
A locational surname of Danish origin referring to someone from Søndergård.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 403 Americans carry the last name Sondergaard. That puts it at #61,734 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 850,507 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sondergaard 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
403
1 in 850,507
Census rank
#61,734
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
351
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 351 bearers of the surname Sondergaard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 61734th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sondergaard, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sondergaard
The surname Sondergaard originated in Denmark, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Danish words "sønder" meaning "south" and "gaard" meaning "farm" or "estate." The name likely denoted a family that lived on a farm or estate located to the south of a particular village or town.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sondergaard is found in the Danish Census of 1645, where a family by that name was listed as residing in the town of Odense, on the island of Funen. Another early reference is in the parish records of Gjerlev, near the city of Randers, where a Jens Sondergaard is mentioned as a landowner in the year 1612.
The name Sondergaard has also been associated with various place names throughout Denmark. One example is the village of Søndergårde, located in the northern part of the country, which was likely named after a family with the surname Sondergaard who resided there.
Notable individuals with the surname Sondergaard include Niels Sondergaard (1859-1931), a Danish politician and member of the Folketing (the Danish parliament) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Another prominent figure was Hans Sondergaard (1888-1972), a Danish architect who designed several notable buildings in Copenhagen, including the Sondergaard House, which now serves as a museum.
In the field of literature, Jens Peter Sondergaard (1922-2003) was a Danish author and playwright, known for his novels and plays that explored themes of social justice and human rights. Kirsten Sondergaard (1914-1999) was a notable Danish actress, who appeared in numerous films and television productions throughout her career, which spanned over six decades.
The name Sondergaard has also been found in historical records outside of Denmark. In the late 18th century, a family by the name of Sondergaard emigrated from Denmark to Norway, where they settled in the city of Bergen. One of their descendants, Olav Sondergaard (1843-1921), became a prominent businessman and philanthropist in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sondergaard
Among Census respondents with the surname Sondergaard, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sondergaard 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 Sondergaard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 327
- Two or more races3.1% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 2
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sondergaard
Sondergaard 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
#58,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 349
+55 bearers (+18.7%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 5,268 places
2020
#61,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 351
+2 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 3,552 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #63,450 | 294 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #58,182 | 349 | 0.12 | +55 bearers (+18.7%) | Up 5,268 places |
| 2020 | #61,734 | 351 | 0.12 | +2 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 3,552 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 Sondergaard 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 | #58,182 | #61,734 | -6.1% |
| Count | 349 | 351 | 0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.12 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sondergaard bearers went from 349 to 351 (+0.6% change). The surname moved down 3,552 positions in the national ranking, going from #58,182 to #61,734.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sondergaard
FAQ
Sondergaard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sondergaard?
Name Census estimates that about 403 living Americans carry the surname Sondergaard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 850,507 residents.
How common is Sondergaard?
Sondergaard ranks #61,734 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 351 people with the surname Sondergaard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (403), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Sondergaard.
Has Sondergaard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sondergaard went from 349 recorded bearers to 351. That is an increase of 2 (+0.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #58,182 to #61,734.
What does the Census say about the background of Sondergaard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sondergaard, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (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 Sondergaard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (327 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sondergaard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (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 Sondergaard (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 Sondergaard mean?
A locational surname of Danish origin referring to someone from Søndergård. 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 Sondergaard (0.12 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 Sondergaard?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.