2000
#14,809
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,838
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Soden
Derived from a place name meaning "south valley" in Old English, likely referring to the bearer's residence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,197 Americans carry the last name Soden. That puts it at #14,846 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 156,010 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Soden 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Soden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 156,010
Census rank
#14,846
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,916 bearers of the surname Soden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14846th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Soden, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Black (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Soden
The surname SODEN is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "soden," which means "muddy" or "marshy." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a marshy area or a swamp.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SODEN can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive record of landowners and properties commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this document, the name appears as "Sodene," indicating its ancient roots.
During the Middle Ages, the SODEN surname was primarily concentrated in the counties of Worcestershire and Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England. The name is also associated with the village of Soden in Staffordshire, which may have been the original place of origin for some bearers of the surname.
Notables with the SODEN surname include Sir John Soden (1530-1588), an English politician and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was Thomas Soden (1750-1822), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a Member of Parliament.
In the 17th century, the SODEN name gained recognition through John Soden (1611-1661), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Ingworth in Norfolk. His writings, particularly his sermons, were widely published during his lifetime.
The 18th century saw the emergence of William Soden (1746-1801), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.
Another notable bearer of the SODEN surname was Sir Cedric Soden (1880-1957), a British diplomat and ambassador who served in various roles, including as the Governor of Malta from 1940 to 1942 during World War II.
While the SODEN surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and colonization. However, the name's origins can be traced back to the medieval period and the Old English word "soden," reflecting its connection to marshy or muddy areas in the English countryside.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Soden
Among Census respondents with the surname Soden, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Black (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Soden 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 Soden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 1,675
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 76
- Black or African American3.7% · 71
- Two or more races3.4% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Soden
Soden 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
#15,246
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,929
+91 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 437 places
2020
#14,846
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,916
-13 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 400 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,809 | 1,838 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,246 | 1,929 | 0.65 | +91 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 437 places |
| 2020 | #14,846 | 1,916 | 0.64 | -13 bearers (-0.7%) | Up 400 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 Soden 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 | #15,246 | #14,846 | 2.6% |
| Count | 1,929 | 1,916 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.64 | -1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Soden bearers went from 1,929 to 1,916 (-0.7% change). The surname moved up 400 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,246 to #14,846.
FAQ
Soden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Soden?
Name Census estimates that about 2,197 living Americans carry the surname Soden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 156,010 residents.
How common is Soden?
Soden ranks #14,846 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,916 people with the surname Soden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,197), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Soden.
Has Soden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Soden went from 1,929 recorded bearers to 1,916. That is a decrease of 13 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,246 to #14,846.
What does the Census say about the background of Soden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Soden, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Black (3.7%). 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 Soden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (1,675 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Soden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Hispanic (4.0%), Black (3.7%). 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 Soden (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 Soden mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "south valley" in Old English, likely referring to the bearer's residence. 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 Soden (0.64 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 common is the surname Soden?
Find out how many people are called Soden on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.