2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Sofianos
A surname originating from Greece, derived from the given name Sophianos meaning "wise".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Sofianos. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sofianos 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Sofianos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sofianos, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sofianos
The surname SOFIANOS is of Greek origin, originating from the Greek word "sophiano" which means "wise" or "learned." The name first appeared in historical records in the late Byzantine period, around the 12th to 15th centuries, primarily in regions of modern-day Greece and the Greek islands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SOFIANOS surname can be found in a manuscript from the 14th century, which mentions a scribe named Theodoros SOFIANOS who worked in the monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos. This suggests that the name was associated with scholarly or religious pursuits during that time.
In the 16th century, the SOFIANOS name is mentioned in several documents related to Greek communities in Venice, Italy, indicating that individuals with this surname had migrated to other parts of the Mediterranean region. One notable example is Georgios SOFIANOS, a merchant and diplomat who represented Greek interests in Venice in the mid-1500s.
During the Ottoman period in Greece, the SOFIANOS surname was predominantly found in the Peloponnese region, particularly in the town of Kalamata. A prominent figure from this era was Panagiotis SOFIANOS (1725-1795), a Greek scholar and teacher who established a renowned school in Kalamata, contributing to the preservation of Greek education and culture under Ottoman rule.
In the 19th century, as Greece gained independence, the SOFIANOS name became associated with the Greek national movement and the struggle for liberation. Konstantinos SOFIANOS (1808-1879) was a Greek military officer and revolutionary who fought in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire.
Another notable individual with the SOFIANOS surname was Ioannis SOFIANOS (1870-1947), a Greek politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Greece in the early 20th century. He played a significant role in shaping Greece's foreign policy during that period.
While the SOFIANOS name has its roots in Greece, it has also spread to other parts of the world through Greek migration and diaspora communities. However, the historical records and references mentioned above provide insights into the origins and early presence of this surname within the Greek cultural and linguistic context.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sofianos
Among Census respondents with the surname Sofianos, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Sofianos 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 Sofianos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sofianos
Sofianos appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+15 bearers (+14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 14,162 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.7%) | Up 14,162 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 Sofianos 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 | #158,432 | #144,270 | 8.9% |
| Count | 102 | 117 | 14.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 30.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sofianos bearers went from 102 to 117 (+14.7% change). The surname moved up 14,162 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #144,270.
FAQ
Sofianos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sofianos?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Sofianos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Sofianos?
Sofianos ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Sofianos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Sofianos.
Has Sofianos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sofianos went from 102 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 15 (+14.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Sofianos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sofianos, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Sofianos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sofianos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Sofianos (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 Sofianos mean?
A surname originating from Greece, derived from the given name Sophianos meaning "wise". 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 Sofianos (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 share the surname Sofianos?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.