2000
#25,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 901
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.33
Very Rare Last name
Sokoloff
A surname of Slavic origin, likely denoting a person from the village of Sokolov or a falconer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 964 Americans carry the last name Sokoloff. That puts it at #29,833 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 355,554 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sokoloff 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
964
1 in 355,554
Census rank
#29,833
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
841
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 841 bearers of the surname Sokoloff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 29833rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sokoloff, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sokoloff
The surname SOKOLOFF originated in Russia and is derived from the Russian word "sokol," meaning "falcon." The name can be traced back to the 11th century and was likely used to identify individuals who were falconers or lived in areas where falcons were prevalent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SOKOLOFF can be found in the Veliky Novgorod Chronicles, a historical manuscript dating back to the 12th century. The chronicles mention a nobleman named Vasily SOKOLOFF who served as a falconer for the Prince of Novgorod.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the SOKOLOFF name gained prominence in various regions of Russia, including Moscow and its surrounding areas. Several families bearing this surname were known to have owned lands and estates, indicating their status and influence within the feudal system.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Ivan SOKOLOFF (1525-1589) served as a military commander under Tsar Ivan the Terrible. He played a significant role in the conquest of the Khanate of Kazan and was rewarded with land grants for his service.
Another prominent individual with the SOKOLOFF surname was Andrei SOKOLOFF (1670-1738), a Russian diplomat and statesman who served as the ambassador to Denmark and Sweden during the reign of Peter the Great.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the SOKOLOFF name continued to be found in various regions of Russia, with some members of the family holding positions of importance in the military, government, and academia. For example, Mikhail SOKOLOFF (1789-1867) was a distinguished mathematician and professor at the Imperial Moscow University.
The name SOKOLOFF also has variations in spelling, such as SOKOLOV, SOKOLOVSKIY, and SOKOLOVSKY, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic changes over time. These variations can be found in historical records and documents from different parts of Russia.
It is worth noting that the SOKOLOFF surname has been borne by several notable individuals throughout history, including authors, artists, and scientists, further adding to its cultural significance and legacy within the Russian context.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sokoloff
Among Census respondents with the surname Sokoloff, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Sokoloff 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 Sokoloff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 780
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 28
- Two or more races3.1% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sokoloff
Sokoloff 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
#28,065
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 853
-48 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Down 2,370 places
2020
#29,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 841
-12 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Down 1,768 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,695 | 901 | 0.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,065 | 853 | 0.29 | -48 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 2,370 places |
| 2020 | #29,833 | 841 | 0.28 | -12 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 1,768 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 Sokoloff 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 | #28,065 | #29,833 | -6.3% |
| Count | 853 | 841 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.29 | 0.28 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sokoloff bearers went from 853 to 841 (-1.4% change). The surname moved down 1,768 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,065 to #29,833.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sokoloff
FAQ
Sokoloff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sokoloff?
Name Census estimates that about 964 living Americans carry the surname Sokoloff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 355,554 residents.
How common is Sokoloff?
Sokoloff ranks #29,833 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.28 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 841 people with the surname Sokoloff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (964), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.28 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 Sokoloff.
Has Sokoloff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sokoloff went from 853 recorded bearers to 841. That is a decrease of 12 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #28,065 to #29,833.
What does the Census say about the background of Sokoloff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sokoloff, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Sokoloff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (780 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sokoloff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Sokoloff (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 Sokoloff mean?
A surname of Slavic origin, likely denoting a person from the village of Sokolov or a falconer. 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 Sokoloff (0.28 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 last name Sokoloff?
You can see how many people have the last name Sokoloff on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.