Find out how popular the first name Soul has been for the last 25 years (from 2000 to 2024) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Soul by gender

Based on the last 25 years of data, Soul is more commonly used as a male name, with approximately 59% of people named Soul being male.

For the most recent data in 2024, there were 61 male babies and 47 female babies born with the name Soul.

The history of the first name Soul

The name Soul does not have a long or distinguished history as a given name. It is a relatively modern invention, likely arising in the 20th century as a neologism reflecting the spiritual concept of the "soul" as the essence or animating principle of a person. While the word "soul" has ancient roots in languages like Greek and Latin, it does not appear to have been used as a personal name until quite recently.

As a given name, Soul seems to be primarily an English language phenomenon, perhaps originating in the United States or other English-speaking countries. It is not derived from any particular language or cultural tradition, but rather is a direct borrowing of the common noun "soul" into use as a proper name.

There are no known references to the name Soul in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records prior to the modern era. The earliest recorded examples of the name are likely from the late 20th century, as it gained popularity as a unique and spiritually evocative name choice.

A few notable individuals named Soul include:

1. Soul Khan, a Pakistani-American filmmaker and artist born in 1976.
2. Soul Brown, an American former professional basketball player born in 1969.
3. Soul Nyx, an American drag queen and activist born in 1983.
4. Soul Rebels, an American brass band formed in New Orleans in the early 1990s.
5. Soul Sneed, an American former professional basketball player born in 1972.

While the name Soul is not common, it has gained some traction in recent decades as a distinctive and meaningful name choice for parents seeking a name with spiritual or philosophical connotations.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Soul was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Soul, please contact us.

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