Sou
A Japanese given name meaning "soar" or "lofty".
Name Census estimates that about 109 living Americans carry the first name Sou. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sou today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sou births was 1982 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sou. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
109
~ 1 in 3,144,535 Americans
Peak year
1982
11 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
1997 SSA rank
#7,998
Tracked since 1981
Census
Sou in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 663 people with the first name Sou, which placed it at #16,857 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#16,857
National first-name rank
People counted
663
663 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
95.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sou
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sou is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.2%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Sou 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Sou at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.2% · 631
- White2.3% · 15
- Two or more races1.1% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 6
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Popularity
Sou: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sou from the 1980s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 57 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sou by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Sou during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sous live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sou
The given name Sou originates from the Japanese language and culture, with its roots dating back to ancient times. The name is derived from the Japanese word "sou," which means "twin" or "pair," suggesting a connection to the concept of duality or togetherness.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sou can be found in the Kojiki, an ancient Japanese chronicle written in the 8th century CE. In this text, the name is mentioned in reference to a legendary figure from Japanese mythology. This early appearance highlights the name's deep-rooted historical significance within Japanese culture.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Sou. One such figure is Sou Shunmyo (1637-1705), a renowned Japanese Buddhist monk and calligrapher who was highly respected for his artistic and spiritual contributions. His intricate calligraphic works are still revered and studied today.
Another prominent bearer of the name Sou was Sou Yung (1494-1552), a Chinese scholar and philosopher during the Ming Dynasty. He was known for his influential writings on Confucianism and his advocacy for moral cultivation and self-improvement. His works had a lasting impact on the intellectual landscape of his time.
In the realm of literature, Sou Keng (1901-1975) was a celebrated Singaporean writer and poet. Her poignant works, written in both Chinese and English, explored themes of identity, cultural heritage, and the human experience. She is considered a pioneer of modern Singaporean literature and a voice for the nation's diverse cultural tapestry.
Moving to the world of entertainment, Sou Fujimoto (1971-) is a renowned Japanese architect known for his innovative and imaginative designs. His works, such as the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion and the Musashino Art University Museum & Library, have garnered international acclaim for their unique and thought-provoking approach to space and form.
Lastly, Sou Lan (1939-2019) was a prominent Chinese-American actress and dancer. She gained recognition for her performances in numerous films and television shows, including her iconic role in the movie "The World of Suzie Wong." Her career spanned decades and contributed to the representation of Asian actors in Hollywood.
These are just a few examples of the individuals who have carried the name Sou throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and cultures. The name's enduring presence serves as a testament to its rich heritage and the diverse narratives it has been woven into over the centuries.
People
Sou + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sou as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sou: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sou?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 109 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sou going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 3,144,535 US residents.
Is Sou a common name?
We classify Sou as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 113 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sou most popular?
The single biggest year for Sou was 1982, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sou is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sou in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 663 people with the name Sou, or 0.22 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #16,857 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Sou in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Sou?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Sou on both sides of the split. Of the 662 people counted with this name, 433 were male (65.4%) and 229 were female (34.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Sou?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sou is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.2%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Sou most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Sou in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (631 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Sou in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sou a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sou in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Sou still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sou in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Sou can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Sou?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Sou at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.