2000
#44,654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 453
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Sobalvarro
A surname of Spanish origin likely referring to a location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 730 Americans carry the last name Sobalvarro. That puts it at #37,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 469,526 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sobalvarro 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
730
1 in 469,526
Census rank
#37,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
637
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 637 bearers of the surname Sobalvarro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 37540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sobalvarro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.2%. The next largest groups are White (9.9%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sobalvarro
The surname Sobalvarro has its origins in Spain, and it is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, possibly as early as the 11th or 12th century. The name is thought to be derived from a combination of words in the Spanish language, with "sobal" meaning "grove" or "copse," and "varro" potentially referring to a person's occupation or location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sobalvarro can be found in the medieval records of the Kingdom of Aragon, where it appears in reference to individuals residing in the region of Valencia. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with a specific geographic area or settlement within the Valencian territory.
During the era of the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the Sobalvarro surname was carried across the Atlantic by Spanish settlers and colonists. Some of the earliest documented bearers of the name in the New World include Juan Sobalvarro, who was born in 1621 in the city of Granada, Nicaragua, and Diego Sobalvarro, a landowner in the region of Comayagua, Honduras, in the mid-17th century.
Notable individuals with the Sobalvarro surname throughout history include Jerónimo Sobalvarro, a prominent lawyer and politician from Nicaragua who served as a member of the National Constituent Assembly in the late 19th century. Another notable figure was María Sobalvarro de Barberena, a Nicaraguan poet and writer who lived in the early 20th century and was known for her works celebrating the landscape and culture of her homeland.
In the realm of literature, the Sobalvarro name gained recognition through the works of Ernesto Sobalvarro, a Nicaraguan novelist and short story writer who was born in 1919 and is celebrated for his contributions to the literary movement known as the Vanguardia. Additionally, Carlos Sobalvarro, a Nicaraguan painter and sculptor born in 1940, achieved significant acclaim for his innovative and thought-provoking works of art.
While the Sobalvarro surname has its roots in Spain and the Iberian Peninsula, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly in Latin America, where it has become closely associated with the cultural heritage and history of countries like Nicaragua, Honduras, and other nations with strong Spanish colonial influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sobalvarro
Among Census respondents with the surname Sobalvarro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.2%. The next largest groups are White (9.9%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Sobalvarro 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 Sobalvarro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.2% · 562
- White9.9% · 63
- Two or more races1.1% · 7
- Black or African American0.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sobalvarro
Sobalvarro 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
#38,439
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 576
+123 bearers (+27.2%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Up 6,215 places
2020
#37,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 637
+61 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Up 899 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #44,654 | 453 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #38,439 | 576 | 0.20 | +123 bearers (+27.2%) | Up 6,215 places |
| 2020 | #37,540 | 637 | 0.21 | +61 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 899 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 Sobalvarro 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 | #38,439 | #37,540 | 2.3% |
| Count | 576 | 637 | 10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.20 | 0.21 | 6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sobalvarro bearers went from 576 to 637 (+10.6% change). The surname moved up 899 positions in the national ranking, going from #38,439 to #37,540.
FAQ
Sobalvarro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sobalvarro?
Name Census estimates that about 730 living Americans carry the surname Sobalvarro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 469,526 residents.
How common is Sobalvarro?
Sobalvarro ranks #37,540 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 637 people with the surname Sobalvarro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (730), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Sobalvarro.
Has Sobalvarro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sobalvarro went from 576 recorded bearers to 637. That is an increase of 61 (+10.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #38,439 to #37,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Sobalvarro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sobalvarro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.2%. The next largest groups are White (9.9%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sobalvarro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (562 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sobalvarro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.2%), White (9.9%), Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Sobalvarro (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 Sobalvarro mean?
A surname of Spanish origin likely referring to a location. 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 Sobalvarro (0.21 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 Sobalvarro?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Sobalvarro on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.