2000
#7,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,944
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Soileau
A French occupational surname for a person who worked with soil, such as a gardener or farmer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,364 Americans carry the last name Soileau. That puts it at #8,328 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,541 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Soileau 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
4.4K
1 in 78,541
Census rank
#8,328
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,806 bearers of the surname Soileau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8328th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Soileau, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Soileau
The surname Soileau originates from France, specifically the Poitou region in the western part of the country. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, sometime around the 11th or 12th century.
Soileau is derived from the Old French word "soilleau," which means "little swine" or "young pig." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname given to someone who worked with pigs or lived near a place associated with pigs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Soileau can be found in the Livre des Bourgeois de Gand, a historical record from the city of Ghent in modern-day Belgium, dating back to the 13th century. This document mentions a person named "Jehan Soilleau."
The surname Soileau also appears in various medieval records and manuscripts from the Poitou region, such as the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Cyprien de Poitiers, which dates back to the 12th century. These records often include different spellings, such as "Soilleau," "Soilheau," and "Soilliau."
One notable individual with the surname Soileau was Jean Soileau (1550-1620), a French Protestant who fled religious persecution and settled in England during the late 16th century. He became a prominent merchant and was involved in establishing trade routes between England and France.
Another significant figure was Marie-Anne Soileau (1695-1768), a French noblewoman and philanthropist who founded several schools and hospitals in the city of Poitiers. Her charitable efforts earned her widespread recognition and respect during her lifetime.
In the 18th century, a family with the surname Soileau emigrated from France to Canada, settling in the region of Acadia (now Nova Scotia and parts of New Brunswick). One of their descendants, Pierre Soileau (1765-1842), played a role in the Acadian resistance against the British during the Expulsion of the Acadians in the mid-18th century.
The surname Soileau also found its way to Louisiana in the United States, likely through French settlers and Acadian refugees who arrived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. One prominent individual with this name was Joseph Soileau (1820-1891), a Louisiana politician and plantation owner who served in the state legislature during the Reconstruction era after the American Civil War.
Throughout history, the surname Soileau has been associated with various notable individuals, ranging from merchants and noblemen to resistance fighters and politicians, reflecting the diverse origins and experiences of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Soileau
Among Census respondents with the surname Soileau, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Soileau 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 Soileau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 3,313
- Black or African American7.1% · 271
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 106
- Two or more races2.5% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Soileau
Soileau 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
#8,232
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,027
+83 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 463 places
2020
#8,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,806
-221 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 96 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,769 | 3,944 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,232 | 4,027 | 1.37 | +83 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 463 places |
| 2020 | #8,328 | 3,806 | 1.27 | -221 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 96 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 Soileau 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 | #8,232 | #8,328 | -1.2% |
| Count | 4,027 | 3,806 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.27 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Soileau bearers went from 4,027 to 3,806 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 96 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,232 to #8,328.
FAQ
Soileau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Soileau?
Name Census estimates that about 4,364 living Americans carry the surname Soileau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,541 residents.
How common is Soileau?
Soileau ranks #8,328 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,806 people with the surname Soileau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,364), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Soileau.
Has Soileau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Soileau went from 4,027 recorded bearers to 3,806. That is a decrease of 221 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,232 to #8,328.
What does the Census say about the background of Soileau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Soileau, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Soileau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (3,313 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Soileau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Black (7.1%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Soileau (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 Soileau mean?
A French occupational surname for a person who worked with soil, such as a gardener or farmer. 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 Soileau (1.27 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 have the surname Soileau?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.