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

Söderström, 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 Söderström surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Söderström in America

Söderström is the 17463rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Söderström surname appeared 1,614 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Söderström.

We can also compare 2010 data for Söderström 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 Söderström

The surname Soderstrom originates from Sweden, tracing its roots back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Swedish words "soder" meaning "south" and "strom" meaning "stream" or "current." This suggests that the name likely originated from a location situated near a southern-flowing body of water.

Historical records indicate that the name Soderstrom first appeared in the Swedish province of Smaland, particularly in the areas around the town of Vaxjo. The earliest known record of the name dates back to 1592, when a farmer named Nils Soderstrom was documented in the parish records of Ingatorp, a village near Vaxjo.

In the 17th century, the Soderstrom name gained prominence when a family of that name established itself as prominent landowners and merchants in the town of Kalmar. One notable figure from this period was Carl Soderstrom (1632-1702), a wealthy merchant and ship owner who played a significant role in the town's trade with other Baltic ports.

During the 18th century, the Soderstrom family continued to thrive, with several members holding positions of importance in the Swedish military and government. One such individual was Major General Erik Soderstrom (1718-1792), who served with distinction in the Swedish Army during the Russo-Swedish War of 1741-1743.

The 19th century saw the Soderstrom name spread beyond Sweden, as members of the family emigrated to various parts of the world. One notable figure from this period was the Swedish-American inventor and industrialist John Soderstrom (1853-1924), who founded the Soderstrom Engine Company in Chicago and held numerous patents for agricultural machinery.

Another prominent individual with the Soderstrom surname was the Swedish writer and feminist Elin Soderstrom (1872-1957), whose works explored themes of gender equality and social justice. Her novel "Kamrater" ("Comrades") published in 1912, was a landmark work in Swedish literature.

The 20th century brought forth several notable individuals bearing the Soderstrom name, including the Swedish actress Gunnel Soderstrom (1925-2016), who was renowned for her performances in films by Ingmar Bergman. Additionally, the Swedish astronomer Erik Soderstrom (1909-1996) made significant contributions to the field of stellar spectroscopy and was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Söderström

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

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 Söderström 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 Söderström 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 Söderström was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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