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

Soga, 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 Soga surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Soga in America

Soga is the 81181st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Soga surname appeared 233 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 Soga.

We can also compare 2010 data for Soga 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 Soga

The surname SOGA is believed to have originated in Japan during the Nara period (710-794 AD). It is thought to be derived from the Old Japanese word "so", meaning "monk" or "priest", and "ga", meaning "family" or "household". This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with families or clans of Buddhist monks or religious leaders.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the SOGA name can be found in the Shoku Nihongi, an early Japanese chronicle completed in 797 AD. It mentions a powerful clan called the Soga no Uji, which had significant influence in the imperial court during the late 6th and early 7th centuries.

A notable figure from this clan was Soga no Umako (594-626 AD), a renowned statesman and one of the chief advisors to Prince Shotoku, who played a crucial role in the spread of Buddhism in Japan. Soga no Umako's son, Soga no Emishi (594-649 AD), was also a prominent figure and served as a regent for several emperors.

During the Heian period (794-1185 AD), the SOGA name appeared in various historical records and literary works. One example is the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, a classic Japanese folktale from the early 11th century, which features a character named SOGA no Sukune Ikina.

In the Kamakura period (1185-1333 AD), the SOGA name was associated with the famous samurai warriors Soga Sukenari (1172-1193 AD) and Soga Goro (1193-1193 AD), who were known for their loyalty and bravery in the service of the Minamoto clan.

Another notable figure was SOGA Ritsuan (1424-1504 AD), a Zen Buddhist monk and calligrapher who lived during the Muromachi period (1336-1573 AD). He was renowned for his contributions to the development of the Japanese calligraphic style known as "Soga-ryū".

During the Edo period (1603-1868 AD), the SOGA name was also associated with several prominent scholars and artists, such as SOGA Shohaku (1730-1781 AD), a renowned painter and calligrapher, and SOGA Hanku (1712-1786 AD), a respected scholar of Confucian studies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Soga

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

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

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

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