2000
#46,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 431
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Sorbo
Italian surname representing someone from the town of Sorbo in Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 456 Americans carry the last name Sorbo. That puts it at #55,632 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 751,654 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sorbo 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
456
1 in 751,654
Census rank
#55,632
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
398
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 398 bearers of the surname Sorbo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 55632nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sorbo, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sorbo
The surname Sorbo has its origins in Italy, specifically in the northern regions of the country. It emerged during the medieval period, likely between the 12th and 14th centuries. The name is believed to be derived from the Latin word "sorbum," meaning "service tree" or a type of wild mountain ash tree.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sorbo can be found in the Codice Diplomatico della Lombardia, a collection of historical documents from the region of Lombardy, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name was already established in that area during that time.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Giovanni Sorbo (c. 1320 - 1390) was a prominent jurist and legal scholar in the city of Bologna. His works on canon law and civil law were widely studied and referenced during the Renaissance period.
Another early record of the name comes from the Florentine Catasto of 1427, a census-like document that recorded the names and property holdings of residents in Florence. Several households with the surname Sorbo were listed, indicating that the name had spread to other parts of northern Italy by that time.
During the 15th century, a branch of the Sorbo family settled in the town of Chieri, near Turin in the Piedmont region. One member, Stefano Sorbo (c. 1455 - 1522), was a respected physician and author of medical treatises on various topics, including the treatment of plague.
In the 16th century, the Sorbo name gained further prominence with the birth of Fabrizio Sorbo (1541 - 1613), a renowned architect and engineer from Milan. He was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings, including the Church of San Fedele and the Palazzo della Ragione in his hometown.
As the centuries passed, the Sorbo surname continued to spread across Italy and beyond, with notable individuals emerging in various fields. While the name may have originated from a humble reference to a type of tree, it has become woven into the rich tapestry of Italian history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sorbo
Among Census respondents with the surname Sorbo, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sorbo 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 Sorbo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 384
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 8
- Black or African American1.0% · 4
- Two or more races0.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sorbo
Sorbo 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
#49,723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 422
-9 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 3,200 places
2020
#55,632
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 398
-24 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 5,909 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #46,523 | 431 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #49,723 | 422 | 0.14 | -9 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 3,200 places |
| 2020 | #55,632 | 398 | 0.13 | -24 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 5,909 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 Sorbo 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 | #49,723 | #55,632 | -11.9% |
| Count | 422 | 398 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.13 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sorbo bearers went from 422 to 398 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 5,909 positions in the national ranking, going from #49,723 to #55,632.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sorbo
FAQ
Sorbo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sorbo?
Name Census estimates that about 456 living Americans carry the surname Sorbo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 751,654 residents.
How common is Sorbo?
Sorbo ranks #55,632 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 398 people with the surname Sorbo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (456), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Sorbo.
Has Sorbo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sorbo went from 422 recorded bearers to 398. That is a decrease of 24 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #49,723 to #55,632.
What does the Census say about the background of Sorbo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sorbo, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Sorbo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (384 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sorbo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), Hispanic (2.0%), Black (1.0%). 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 Sorbo (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 Sorbo mean?
Italian surname representing someone from the town of Sorbo in Italy. 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 Sorbo (0.13 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 are called Sorbo?
Find out how common the surname Sorbo is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.