2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Soebbing
A surname derived from a German word meaning "tranquil" or "peaceful".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Soebbing. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Soebbing 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Soebbing in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Soebbing, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Soebbing
The surname SOEBBING is believed to have originated in Germany, tracing its roots back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "sobbe," which referred to a type of wet, swampy land or marsh. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive one, likely referring to someone who lived near or worked on such marshy lands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SOEBBING can be found in a land registry document from the town of Memmingen, located in the Bavarian region of Germany, dated 1567. The document mentions a "Hans Soebbing" as a landowner in the area.
In the late 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Europe, with records showing individuals bearing the SOEBBING name in regions such as Alsace, France, and the Netherlands. It is possible that these individuals were descendants of German immigrants who had settled in these areas.
A notable early bearer of the SOEBBING name was Johann Soebbing, a Lutheran theologian and author who lived from 1632 to 1697. He is known for his work titled "Concordia Concors," published in 1683, which was a treatise on the teachings of the Lutheran church.
In the 18th century, the SOEBBING name can be found in various church records and parish registers throughout Germany and neighboring regions. One example is the baptismal record of a child named Anna Maria Soebbing, born in 1745 in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, in modern-day Bavaria.
Another prominent figure with the SOEBBING surname was Friedrich Wilhelm Soebbing, a German historian and writer who lived from 1786 to 1848. He is best known for his work "Geschichte der Stadt Nürnberg" (History of the City of Nuremberg), published in 1834, which remains an important source for the study of the city's history.
In the 19th century, the name SOEBBING began to appear in records from other parts of Europe, including Austria, Switzerland, and even parts of Russia. This suggests that members of the family may have migrated or settled in these areas during this period.
One notable example from this time is Karl Soebbing, a German architect and urban planner who lived from 1835 to 1911. He is credited with designing several notable buildings in Berlin and other German cities, including the iconic Reichstag building, which houses the German parliament.
As the centuries progressed, the SOEBBING name continued to be found in various parts of Europe, with individuals bearing this surname making contributions in fields such as academia, the arts, and science.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Soebbing
Among Census respondents with the surname Soebbing, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Soebbing 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 Soebbing surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 115
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Soebbing
Soebbing 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,114 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,560 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 6,114 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 3,560 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 Soebbing 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 | #139,228 | #142,788 | -2.6% |
| Count | 120 | 119 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Soebbing bearers went from 120 to 119 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,560 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #142,788.
FAQ
Soebbing surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Soebbing?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Soebbing. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Soebbing?
Soebbing ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Soebbing. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Soebbing.
Has Soebbing become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Soebbing went from 120 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Soebbing?
Among Census respondents with the surname Soebbing, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Soebbing in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Soebbing appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Soebbing (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 Soebbing mean?
A surname derived from a German word meaning "tranquil" or "peaceful". 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 Soebbing (0.04 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 are called Soebbing?
See how many people have the last name Soebbing on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.