2000
#108,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 151
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Sordi
An Italian surname derived from the word "sordo" meaning deaf or hard of hearing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 179 Americans carry the last name Sordi. That puts it at #117,879 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,914,829 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sordi 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
179
1 in 1,914,829
Census rank
#117,879
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
156
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 156 bearers of the surname Sordi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 117879th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sordi, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sordi
The surname Sordi has its origins in Italy, with records dating back to the 14th century. It is thought to have derived from the Italian word "sordo," meaning "deaf" or "hard of hearing." The name may have initially been given as a nickname to someone who was deaf or had difficulty hearing.
One of the earliest known records of the name Sordi can be found in the Codice Diplomatico della Lombardia Medievale, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Lombardy, Italy. In this collection, there is a reference to a person named "Giovanni Sordi" from the city of Bergamo in the year 1379.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various municipal records and tax rolls in the regions of Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany. For example, there is a record of a "Bartolomeo Sordi" from the town of Parma in 1457, and a "Piero Sordi" from Florence in 1482.
As the name spread throughout Italy, it also began to appear in different spellings and variations, such as "Sordi," "Sordio," and "Sordini." These variations may have arisen due to regional dialects or local pronunciation differences.
One notable individual with the surname Sordi was Alberto Sordi, an acclaimed Italian actor, director, and screenwriter born in 1920 and died in 2003. He is considered one of the most famous and influential figures in Italian cinema, known for his comedic performances and iconic roles in films such as "The Vigil" and "The Seducer."
Another prominent figure was Tito Sordi, an Italian painter and engraver from the late 16th century. He was born in Siena around 1560 and was known for his religious paintings and etchings, many of which can be found in churches and museums throughout Italy.
In the 18th century, there was Giuseppe Sordi, an Italian architect and engineer who worked on several important projects in Rome, including the renovation of the Palazzo della Consulta and the construction of the Palazzo del Monte di Pietà.
The surname Sordi also has a connection to the world of literature, with Giovanni Sordi, an Italian poet and writer who lived in the late 19th century. He was born in Reggio Emilia in 1858 and published several volumes of poetry and literary works.
Another notable figure was Gino Sordi, an Italian football player who played as a defender for several clubs in the 1930s and 1940s, including Lazio and Torino.
While these are just a few examples, the surname Sordi has a rich history and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout the centuries, leaving a lasting impact on Italian culture and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sordi
Among Census respondents with the surname Sordi, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Sordi 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 Sordi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 150
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 3
- Two or more races1.3% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sordi
Sordi 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
#110,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 160
+9 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 1,552 places
2020
#117,879
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 156
-4 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 7,593 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #108,734 | 151 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #110,286 | 160 | 0.05 | +9 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 1,552 places |
| 2020 | #117,879 | 156 | 0.05 | -4 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 7,593 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 Sordi 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 | #110,286 | #117,879 | -6.9% |
| Count | 160 | 156 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | 4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sordi bearers went from 160 to 156 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 7,593 positions in the national ranking, going from #110,286 to #117,879.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sordi
FAQ
Sordi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sordi?
Name Census estimates that about 179 living Americans carry the surname Sordi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,914,829 residents.
How common is Sordi?
Sordi ranks #117,879 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 156 people with the surname Sordi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (179), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Sordi.
Has Sordi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sordi went from 160 recorded bearers to 156. That is a decrease of 4 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #110,286 to #117,879.
What does the Census say about the background of Sordi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sordi, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Sordi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (150 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sordi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Hispanic (1.9%), Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Sordi (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 Sordi mean?
An Italian surname derived from the word "sordo" meaning deaf or hard of hearing. 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 Sordi (0.05 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 Sordi?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Sordi is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.