Find out how popular the last name Solem is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Solem.

Solem, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Solem surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Solem in America

Solem is the 19275th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Solem surname appeared 1,406 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Solem.

We can also compare 2010 data for Solem to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Solem

The surname SOLEM is believed to have originated in Norway during the early medieval period, around the 9th or 10th century. It is derived from the Old Norse word "søl," which means "sun" or "sunlit." The name SOLEM was likely given to individuals who lived in areas that were particularly sunny or had a bright, sunny disposition.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SOLEM can be found in the Icelandic sagas, which were written in the 13th and 14th centuries. These sagas mention a character named Solem Hallvardsson, who lived in the late 10th century and was known for his bravery and skill in battle.

In Norway, the name SOLEM can be traced back to the 14th century, where it appears in various historical records and documents. One notable individual with this surname was Olav Solem, a Norwegian farmer who lived in the late 15th century and was known for his contributions to agricultural practices in his region.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the SOLEM name began to spread throughout Scandinavia and into other parts of Europe. In Denmark, there was a prominent family named Solem who owned land and held positions of influence in the city of Copenhagen during the 17th century.

One of the most notable individuals with the surname SOLEM was Hans Solem, a Norwegian explorer and navigator who lived from 1570 to 1638. He was part of several expeditions to the Arctic regions and is credited with discovering and mapping several islands and territories in the area now known as Svalbard.

Another notable figure was Ingrid Solem, a Norwegian author and poet who lived from 1888 to 1972. She is best known for her works that explored themes of nature, love, and the human condition, and her poetry was widely acclaimed both in Norway and internationally.

Towards the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many individuals with the surname SOLEM emigrated from Norway and other Scandinavian countries to the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world. This helped to further spread the name to various regions and cultures.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Solem

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Solem.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Solem was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Solem has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Solem was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Solem, please contact us.

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