2000
#10,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,730
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Soderberg
A Swedish toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a small island or peninsula in a lake.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,901 Americans carry the last name Soderberg. That puts it at #11,833 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,150 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Soderberg 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
2.9K
1 in 118,150
Census rank
#11,833
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,530 bearers of the surname Soderberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11833rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Soderberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Soderberg
The surname SODERBERG originated from Sweden in the late 17th century. It is derived from the Swedish words 'söder' meaning 'south' and 'berg' meaning 'mountain' or 'hill'. The name likely refers to someone who lived near a southern hill or mountain range.
In its earliest recorded form, the name was spelled 'Söderberg'. It began appearing in Swedish church records and census documents from the late 1600s, particularly in the regions of Småland and Östergötland. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sven Söderberg, born in 1678 in the village of Hult, near the town of Jönköping.
The SODERBERG name can be found in several historical documents from the 18th and 19th centuries, including military records and land ownership records. Notable early bearers of the name include Gustaf Söderberg (1804-1892), a Swedish politician and member of the Riksdag, and Carl Söderberg (1836-1896), a successful businessman and industrialist from Stockholm.
As Swedish emigration to North America increased in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many individuals with the surname SODERBERG settled in various parts of the United States and Canada. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was that of Johan Soderberg, who arrived in New York from Sweden in 1863.
Throughout its history, the SODERBERG name has been borne by several notable individuals, including Hjalmar Söderberg (1869-1941), a Swedish novelist and playwright; Theodor Söderberg (1910-1971), a Swedish Olympic swimmer; and Arne Söderberg (1939-2021), a Swedish business magnate and founder of the Söderberg Foundations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Soderberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Soderberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Soderberg 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 Soderberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 2,319
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 82
- Two or more races2.9% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 26
- Black or African American0.7% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Soderberg
Soderberg 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
#11,568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,718
-12 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 838 places
2020
#11,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,530
-188 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 265 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,730 | 2,730 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,568 | 2,718 | 0.92 | -12 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 838 places |
| 2020 | #11,833 | 2,530 | 0.85 | -188 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 265 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 Soderberg 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 | #11,568 | #11,833 | -2.3% |
| Count | 2,718 | 2,530 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.85 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Soderberg bearers went from 2,718 to 2,530 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 265 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,568 to #11,833.
FAQ
Soderberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Soderberg?
Name Census estimates that about 2,901 living Americans carry the surname Soderberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,150 residents.
How common is Soderberg?
Soderberg ranks #11,833 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,530 people with the surname Soderberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,901), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Soderberg.
Has Soderberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Soderberg went from 2,718 recorded bearers to 2,530. That is a decrease of 188 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,568 to #11,833.
What does the Census say about the background of Soderberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Soderberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Soderberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (2,319 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Soderberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Soderberg (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 Soderberg mean?
A Swedish toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a small island or peninsula in a lake. 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 Soderberg (0.85 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 have the last name Soderberg?
If you just want to know how many people are called Soderberg, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.