2000
#19,144
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,313
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.49
Rare Last name
Soderquist
An occupational surname for someone associated with the southern part of a town or region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,402 Americans carry the last name Soderquist. That puts it at #21,722 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 244,475 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Soderquist 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
1.4K
1 in 244,475
Census rank
#21,722
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,223 bearers of the surname Soderquist in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21722nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Soderquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Soderquist
The surname Soderquist has its origins in Sweden, tracing back to the 16th century or earlier. It is a locational surname, derived from the Swedish words "söder" meaning "south" and "kvist" meaning "branch" or "twig." This suggests that the name may have originated from a place or region located in the southern part of Sweden, potentially near a prominent tree or branch.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Soderquist name can be found in the Swedish Church records from the late 1500s. These records were maintained by the Lutheran Church, which was the state church in Sweden during that time period. The name appears to have been more prevalent in the southern and central regions of Sweden, particularly in the provinces of Småland and Östergötland.
In the 17th century, the Swedish Empire expanded its territories, and many Swedes migrated to other parts of the Baltic region, including Finland, which was then part of the Swedish realm. It is possible that the Soderquist name may have spread to other areas during this period of expansion and migration.
One notable individual with the Soderquist surname was Carl Johan Soderquist (1741-1811), a Swedish-Finnish military officer and politician. He served as the Governor of the province of Östergötland in Sweden and was later appointed as the Governor-General of the Grand Duchy of Finland.
Another prominent figure was Johan Gustaf Soderquist (1818-1897), a Swedish botanist and mycologist. He made significant contributions to the study of fungi and was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
In the 19th century, the Soderquist name can be found in various records and documents from Sweden and other parts of Scandinavia. One example is Nils Soderquist (1832-1902), a Swedish-American immigrant who settled in Minnesota and became a prominent farmer and landowner.
Anna Soderquist (1857-1943) was a Swedish educator and women's rights activist. She was one of the pioneers in the movement for women's suffrage in Sweden and played a crucial role in establishing educational opportunities for women.
Lastly, Gunnar Soderquist (1906-1987) was a Swedish actor and film director. He had a prolific career in Swedish cinema and was known for his work in both comedic and dramatic roles.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Soderquist
Among Census respondents with the surname Soderquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Soderquist 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 Soderquist surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 1,123
- Two or more races4.3% · 53
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 9
- Black or African American0.2% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Soderquist
Soderquist 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
#20,322
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,308
-5 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Down 1,178 places
2020
#21,722
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,223
-85 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Down 1,400 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,144 | 1,313 | 0.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,322 | 1,308 | 0.44 | -5 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 1,178 places |
| 2020 | #21,722 | 1,223 | 0.41 | -85 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 1,400 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 Soderquist 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 | #20,322 | #21,722 | -6.9% |
| Count | 1,308 | 1,223 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.44 | 0.41 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Soderquist bearers went from 1,308 to 1,223 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 1,400 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,322 to #21,722.
FAQ
Soderquist surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Soderquist?
Name Census estimates that about 1,402 living Americans carry the surname Soderquist. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 244,475 residents.
How common is Soderquist?
Soderquist ranks #21,722 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.41 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 1,223 people with the surname Soderquist. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,402), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.41 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 Soderquist.
Has Soderquist become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Soderquist went from 1,308 recorded bearers to 1,223. That is a decrease of 85 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,322 to #21,722.
What does the Census say about the background of Soderquist?
Among Census respondents with the surname Soderquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (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 Soderquist in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (1,123 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Soderquist appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (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 Soderquist (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 Soderquist mean?
An occupational surname for someone associated with the southern part of a town or region. 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 Soderquist (0.41 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 Soderquist?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Soderquist on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.