2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Solakian
Of Armenian origin, likely derived from the word "solak" meaning left-handed or southpaw.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Solakian. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Solakian 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Solakian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Solakian, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Solakian
The surname SOLAKIAN has its origins in Armenia, dating back to the 6th century AD. It is believed to be derived from the Armenian word "solak," which means "messenger" or "courier." This suggests that the name may have been associated with those who carried messages or worked as messengers for the nobility or the church.
During the Middle Ages, the SOLAKIAN name appeared in various Armenian manuscripts and records, particularly those related to monastic orders and ecclesiastical institutions. One notable reference is found in the Matenadaranm, a repository of ancient manuscripts located in Yerevan, where a SOLAKIAN is mentioned as a scribe in the 12th century.
The earliest recorded instance of the SOLAKIAN name can be traced back to Hovhannes SOLAKIAN, a renowned Armenian poet and scholar who lived between 1230 and 1293. His works, which included religious hymns and philosophical treatises, have been preserved and studied by scholars over the centuries.
Another notable SOLAKIAN was Grigor SOLAKIAN (1576-1649), a renowned Armenian architect and builder who was responsible for the construction of several churches and monasteries in the regions of Artsakh and Syunik. His masterpiece is considered to be the Monastery of Gandzasar, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In the 18th century, Khachatur SOLAKIAN (1718-1799) was a prominent Armenian merchant and philanthropist who established trade routes between Armenia and various European countries. He was instrumental in the development of the Armenian community in Venice, Italy, where he funded the construction of an Armenian church and a school.
During the 19th century, Mikayel SOLAKIAN (1832-1891) was a notable Armenian writer and educator who played a significant role in the Armenian national awakening. He founded several schools and published numerous works aimed at promoting Armenian culture and language.
Another influential SOLAKIAN was Avetis SOLAKIAN (1866-1919), a prominent Armenian revolutionary and politician who fought for Armenian independence during the early 20th century. He was a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) and served as the Prime Minister of the First Republic of Armenia in 1918-1919.
It is important to note that the SOLAKIAN name has undergone various spellings and variations throughout history, such as SOLAKHIAN, SOLAKYAN, and SOLAKIAN, reflecting the diverse regions and dialects of the Armenian diaspora.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Solakian
Among Census respondents with the surname Solakian, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Solakian 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 Solakian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Solakian
Solakian 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
+12 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 1,168 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-18 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,493 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | +12 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 1,168 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 17,493 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 Solakian 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 | #126,018 | #143,511 | -13.9% |
| Count | 136 | 118 | -13.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Solakian bearers went from 136 to 118 (-13.2% change). The surname moved down 17,493 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #143,511.
FAQ
Solakian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Solakian?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Solakian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Solakian?
Solakian ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 118 people with the surname Solakian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Solakian.
Has Solakian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Solakian went from 136 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 18 (-13.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Solakian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Solakian, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Solakian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Solakian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Hispanic (2.5%), Black (0.8%). 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 Solakian (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 Solakian mean?
Of Armenian origin, likely derived from the word "solak" meaning left-handed or southpaw. 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 Solakian (0.04 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 Solakian?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.