2000
#14,664
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,859
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Sola
A Spanish and Italian surname derived from the word "sola," meaning "alone" or "single."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,734 Americans carry the last name Sola. That puts it at #12,431 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,367 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sola 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sola with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 125,367
Census rank
#12,431
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,384 bearers of the surname Sola in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12431st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sola, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 53.7%. The next largest groups are White (35.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sola
The surname SOLA originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "solus," which means "alone" or "single." This name likely referred to someone who lived in a solitary or isolated place or who was an only child.
SOLA is believed to have first appeared in the regions of Catalonia and Valencia in the 12th and 13th centuries. Early variations of the spelling included Sola, Sole, and Soles. The name is also related to the Spanish word "sol," meaning "sun," suggesting a possible connection to someone who lived in a sunny or exposed location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SOLA can be found in the "Llibre del Repartiment," a 13th-century document that recorded the distribution of lands and properties in the Kingdom of Valencia after the Christian conquest of the region from the Moors.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Ferran Sola was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Barcelona. He played a significant role in the city's economic and political affairs during that time.
During the 15th century, the SOLA name was associated with several notable figures, including Juan Sola, a renowned architect who contributed to the construction of the famous Cathedral of Seville in Spain.
In the 16th century, a famous explorer named Hernando de Sola accompanied the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto on his expeditions to Florida and the southeastern regions of what is now the United States.
Another prominent individual with the SOLA surname was José Sola, a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the last Spanish governor of California from 1815 to 1822, before the region became part of Mexico.
Throughout history, the SOLA name has been associated with various notable individuals, including artists, writers, politicians, and scholars, both in Spain and in other parts of the world where Spanish influence and migration have taken place.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sola
Among Census respondents with the surname Sola, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 53.7%. The next largest groups are White (35.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Sola 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 Sola surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino53.7% · 1,280
- White35.9% · 857
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.3% · 174
- Two or more races1.6% · 39
- Black or African American1.3% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sola
Sola 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
#13,654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,218
+359 bearers (+19.3%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 1,010 places
2020
#12,431
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,384
+166 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 1,223 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,664 | 1,859 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,654 | 2,218 | 0.75 | +359 bearers (+19.3%) | Up 1,010 places |
| 2020 | #12,431 | 2,384 | 0.80 | +166 bearers (+7.5%) | Up 1,223 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 Sola 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 | #13,654 | #12,431 | 9.0% |
| Count | 2,218 | 2,384 | 7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.80 | 6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sola bearers went from 2,218 to 2,384 (+7.5% change). The surname moved up 1,223 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,654 to #12,431.
FAQ
Sola surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sola?
Name Census estimates that about 2,734 living Americans carry the surname Sola. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,367 residents.
How common is Sola?
Sola ranks #12,431 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,384 people with the surname Sola. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,734), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Sola.
Has Sola become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sola went from 2,218 recorded bearers to 2,384. That is an increase of 166 (+7.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,654 to #12,431.
What does the Census say about the background of Sola?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sola, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 53.7%. The next largest groups are White (35.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sola in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.7% (1,280 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sola appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (53.7%), White (35.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.3%). 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 Sola (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 Sola mean?
A Spanish and Italian surname derived from the word "sola," meaning "alone" or "single." 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 Sola (0.80 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 common is the surname Sola?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Sola, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.