2000
#38,992
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 532
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Rare Last name
Sokolov
A Russian surname derived from the word "sokol," meaning falcon or hawk.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,018 Americans carry the last name Sokolov. That puts it at #28,554 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 336,694 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sokolov 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
1.0K
1 in 336,694
Census rank
#28,554
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
888
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 888 bearers of the surname Sokolov in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 28554th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sokolov, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%) and Hispanic (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sokolov
The surname Sokolov has its origins in Russia and is derived from the Russian word "sokol", meaning "falcon". This name first appeared in the 9th century and was used to identify individuals who were involved in falconry or hunting with falcons, which was a popular pastime among the nobility and royalty of that time.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Sokolov can be found in ancient Russian chronicles and manuscripts from the medieval period. One notable example is the Veliky Novgorod Chronicle, which mentions a nobleman named Sokolov who served as a military commander during the reign of Prince Vsevolod in the 12th century.
Over time, the name Sokolov spread across various regions of Russia, becoming particularly prevalent in areas like Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Novgorod. It also appeared in historical records and documents from other Slavic countries, such as Ukraine and Belarus, where it took on slightly different spelling variations like Sokolov or Sokoloff.
Among the notable individuals who bore the surname Sokolov throughout history are:
1. Mikhail Sokolov (1818-1888), a Russian general and military historian who served in the Crimean War and wrote extensively about military tactics and strategy.
2. Nikolai Sokolov (1870-1928), a renowned Russian pathologist and one of the founders of modern pathology. He made significant contributions to the study of infectious diseases and cancer.
3. Ivan Sokolov (1865-1939), a Russian painter and art teacher who was part of the Peredvizhniki movement and is known for his realistic portraits and landscapes.
4. Nikolai Sokolov (1936-1999), a Soviet and Russian actor who appeared in numerous films and television shows, including the popular series "The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed".
5. Yuri Sokolov (1938-1997), a Soviet and Russian writer and screenwriter who authored several novels and scripts for popular movies and TV shows, such as "The Andromeda Nebula".
The name Sokolov has also been associated with various place names and geographical locations in Russia, such as the village of Sokolovo in the Tver region and the Sokolov district in the Ivanovo Oblast.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sokolov
Among Census respondents with the surname Sokolov, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%) and Hispanic (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Sokolov 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 Sokolov surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.3% · 855
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 11
- Two or more races0.7% · 6
- Black or African American0.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sokolov
Sokolov 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
#31,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 744
+212 bearers (+39.8%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Up 7,808 places
2020
#28,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 888
+144 bearers (+19.4%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Up 2,630 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #38,992 | 532 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #31,184 | 744 | 0.25 | +212 bearers (+39.8%) | Up 7,808 places |
| 2020 | #28,554 | 888 | 0.30 | +144 bearers (+19.4%) | Up 2,630 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 Sokolov 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 | #31,184 | #28,554 | 8.4% |
| Count | 744 | 888 | 19.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.25 | 0.30 | 18.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sokolov bearers went from 744 to 888 (+19.4% change). The surname moved up 2,630 positions in the national ranking, going from #31,184 to #28,554.
FAQ
Sokolov surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sokolov?
Name Census estimates that about 1,018 living Americans carry the surname Sokolov. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 336,694 residents.
How common is Sokolov?
Sokolov ranks #28,554 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.30 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 888 people with the surname Sokolov. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,018), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.30 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 Sokolov.
Has Sokolov become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sokolov went from 744 recorded bearers to 888. That is an increase of 144 (+19.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #31,184 to #28,554.
What does the Census say about the background of Sokolov?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sokolov, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%) and Hispanic (1.2%). 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 Sokolov in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.3% (855 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sokolov appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%), Hispanic (1.2%). 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 Sokolov (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 Sokolov mean?
A Russian surname derived from the word "sokol," meaning falcon or hawk. 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 Sokolov (0.30 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 Sokolov?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Sokolov on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.