Find out how popular the last name Soddy is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Soddy.

Soddy, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Soddy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Soddy in America

Soddy is the 151532nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Soddy surname appeared 108 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Soddy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Soddy to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Soddy

The surname Soddy is believed to have originated from the Old English word "sodd," which means "turf" or "sod." It is an English locational name that refers to someone who lived near a grassy area or a piece of land covered with turf. The name can be traced back to the late 12th century and was first recorded in the county of Lancashire, England.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1199, where a person named Willelmus de Soddy is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, and their inclusion suggests that the Soddy family had some level of prominence or wealth at the time.

The name Soddy has also been found in various historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, where it appears as "Soddy." This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time and across different regions.

During the Middle Ages, the Soddy family was primarily concentrated in the northern counties of England, particularly in Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Staffordshire. Some notable individuals from this period include Thomas Soddy, who was born in Lancashire in 1472 and served as a magistrate in the region.

In the 16th century, the Soddy family began to spread to other parts of England, with records showing individuals with the surname in counties like Cheshire and Derbyshire. One prominent figure from this era was William Soddy, born in 1530 in Lancashire, who was a successful merchant and landowner.

The 17th and 18th centuries saw the Soddy name continue to flourish, with several individuals achieving recognition in various fields. For example, John Soddy (1642-1718) was a renowned clockmaker from Cheshire, while Samuel Soddy (1712-1789) was a respected theologian and author from Yorkshire.

As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, many members of the Soddy family became involved in the coal mining industry, particularly in the North West of England. One notable figure from this period was Frederick Soddy (1877-1956), a chemist from Eastbourne, East Sussex, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1921 for his contributions to the study of radioactive decay.

Throughout its history, the surname Soddy has been associated with various professions, from tradesmen and merchants to scholars and scientists. While the name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, its connection to the Old English word "sodd" and its locational origins remain a significant part of its heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Soddy

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Soddy.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Soddy was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Soddy has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

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

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

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