2000
#7,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,848
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.43
Rare Last name
Soles
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a pond, pool, or muddy place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,241 Americans carry the last name Soles. That puts it at #8,544 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,819 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Soles 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 Soles with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 80,819
Census rank
#8,544
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,698 bearers of the surname Soles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8544th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Soles, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Hispanic (8.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Soles
The surname SOLES has its origins in Spain and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "sola," which means "sole" or "bottom of the foot." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with a particular trade or occupation related to footwear or shoe-making.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SOLES surname can be found in the "Libro de la Cofradía de la Vera Cruz," a manuscript dating back to the 15th century that documented the members of a religious brotherhood in the Spanish city of Seville. This record mentions a certain "Juan de Soles" who was a member of this brotherhood.
The SOLES surname also appears in various historical documents from the Spanish Inquisition, which took place between the 15th and 19th centuries. These records often provide valuable insights into the lives and origins of families during that period.
Notable individuals with the SOLES surname include:
1. Francisco de Soles (c. 1520-1588), a Spanish painter and sculptor from Seville, known for his works in religious art and architectural decoration.
2. Juan de Soles (fl. 1650), a Spanish playwright and poet from Madrid, whose works were widely performed in the 17th century.
3. Pedro de Soles (c. 1600-1670), a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied several expeditions to the Americas and the Pacific Ocean.
4. Maria de Soles (c. 1630-1705), a Spanish nun and mystic from Córdoba, renowned for her visions and spiritual writings.
5. Antonio de Soles y Rivadeneyra (1644-1718), a Spanish nobleman and diplomat who served as the ambassador to the court of Louis XIV in France.
While the SOLES surname has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly to Latin American countries, due to Spanish colonization and migration. Various spellings and variations of the name, such as Soler, Solé, and Sola, can also be found in different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Soles
Among Census respondents with the surname Soles, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Hispanic (8.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Soles 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 Soles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.3% · 2,784
- Black or African American12.2% · 452
- Hispanic or Latino8.1% · 301
- Two or more races3.5% · 128
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Soles
Soles 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
#8,274
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,006
+158 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 298 places
2020
#8,544
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,698
-308 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 270 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,976 | 3,848 | 1.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,274 | 4,006 | 1.36 | +158 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 298 places |
| 2020 | #8,544 | 3,698 | 1.24 | -308 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 270 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 Soles 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 | #8,274 | #8,544 | -3.3% |
| Count | 4,006 | 3,698 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.36 | 1.24 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Soles bearers went from 4,006 to 3,698 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 270 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,274 to #8,544.
FAQ
Soles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Soles?
Name Census estimates that about 4,241 living Americans carry the surname Soles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,819 residents.
How common is Soles?
Soles ranks #8,544 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.24 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 3,698 people with the surname Soles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,241), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.24 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 Soles.
Has Soles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Soles went from 4,006 recorded bearers to 3,698. That is a decrease of 308 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,274 to #8,544.
What does the Census say about the background of Soles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Soles, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Hispanic (8.1%). 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 Soles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.3% (2,784 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Soles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.3%), Black (12.2%), Hispanic (8.1%). 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 Soles (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 Soles mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a pond, pool, or muddy place. 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 Soles (1.24 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 Americans have the surname Soles?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.