2000
#22,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,072
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.40
Rare Last name
Sohl
A locative surname denoting someone from a place named Sohl.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,283 Americans carry the last name Sohl. That puts it at #23,428 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 267,151 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sohl 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
1.3K
1 in 267,151
Census rank
#23,428
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,119 bearers of the surname Sohl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23428th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sohl, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sohl
The surname SOHL has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "sohl," which means "sole" or "the bottom of a shoe." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a shoemaker or someone involved in the leather trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SOHL can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, dating back to 1382. In these records, a certain Johannes Sohl is mentioned as a resident of the city. The name also appears in various other historical documents from the region, such as tax records and church registers.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the SOHL name began to spread across different parts of Germany, particularly in the states of Bavaria and Saxony. Families bearing this surname were often found in rural areas, where many were engaged in agriculture or traditional crafts.
One notable figure with the surname SOHL was Johann Sohl (1604-1677), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Duke of Saxony-Altenburg. His works, including sacred vocal compositions and organ pieces, were highly regarded during his lifetime.
In the 18th century, the SOHL name also appeared in various German-speaking regions of Europe, such as Austria and Switzerland. One example is Johann Michael Sohl (1725-1799), a Swiss painter known for his religious and historical works.
As the 19th century dawned, the SOHL surname continued to be prevalent in Germany, with some families also migrating to other parts of Europe and beyond. One noteworthy individual from this period was Friedrich Sohl (1822-1892), a German entrepreneur who established a successful textile manufacturing company in the city of Leipzig.
Another prominent figure was Karl Sohl (1867-1925), a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party. He served as a member of the Reichstag (the German parliament) and was a vocal advocate for workers' rights and social reforms.
Throughout its history, the surname SOHL has been associated with various occupations and areas of expertise, from artisans and tradesmen to artists, musicians, and political figures. While the name's origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, it has since spread and taken root in various parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sohl
Among Census respondents with the surname Sohl, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Sohl 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 Sohl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.9% · 961
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.6% · 52
- Two or more races2.7% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 8
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sohl
Sohl 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
#22,673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,131
+59 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Down 270 places
2020
#23,428
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,119
-12 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Down 755 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,403 | 1,072 | 0.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,673 | 1,131 | 0.38 | +59 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 270 places |
| 2020 | #23,428 | 1,119 | 0.37 | -12 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 755 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 Sohl 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 | #22,673 | #23,428 | -3.3% |
| Count | 1,131 | 1,119 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.38 | 0.37 | -1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sohl bearers went from 1,131 to 1,119 (-1.1% change). The surname moved down 755 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,673 to #23,428.
FAQ
Sohl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sohl?
Name Census estimates that about 1,283 living Americans carry the surname Sohl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 267,151 residents.
How common is Sohl?
Sohl ranks #23,428 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.37 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 1,119 people with the surname Sohl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,283), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.37 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 Sohl.
Has Sohl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sohl went from 1,131 recorded bearers to 1,119. That is a decrease of 12 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #22,673 to #23,428.
What does the Census say about the background of Sohl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sohl, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%). 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 Sohl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (961 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sohl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.9%), Hispanic (5.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%). 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 Sohl (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 Sohl mean?
A locative surname denoting someone from a place named Sohl. 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 Sohl (0.37 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 Sohl?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.