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

Soffel, 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 Soffel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Soffel in America

Soffel is the 98982nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Soffel surname appeared 183 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Soffel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Soffel 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 Soffel

The surname Soffel is believed to have originated in Germany, dating back to the 16th century or earlier. It is thought to have derived from the German word "Soffe," which was a nickname given to someone who was perceived as a lazy or sluggish person. The name might also be related to the Old German word "soffeln," meaning "to saunter" or "to stroll leisurely."

In some historical records, the name has been spelled differently, such as Söffel, Soeffel, or Soeffel. One of the earliest documented instances of the name appears in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Steinbach in the Taunus region of Germany, where a family by the name of Soffel was recorded in the late 16th century.

One notable individual with the surname Soffel was Johann Philipp Soffel (1648-1720), a German composer and organist who was born in Nuremberg. He is known for his contributions to the development of the Nuremberg tradition of organ music.

Another historical figure was Friedrich Wilhelm Soffel (1792-1868), a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Frankfurt Parliament during the revolutionary year of 1848.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Soffel surname dates back to the late 18th century, when Johannes Soffel (1760-1832) immigrated from Germany and settled in Pennsylvania.

A notable American with the surname was Alfred Soffel (1839-1908), a Union Army soldier who fought in the American Civil War and was later awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.

Another American figure was Helen Soffel (1873-1948), a prison warden's wife who gained notoriety in 1903 for helping two convicted murderers escape from the Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her story was later adapted into a film titled "Mrs. Soffel" in 1984.

While the Soffel surname is not among the most common surnames worldwide, it has a rich history and has been carried by notable individuals in various fields throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Soffel

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

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

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

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