2000
#83,301
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 210
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Solet
A Catalan surname derived from the diminutive of sol (sun).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 290 Americans carry the last name Solet. That puts it at #80,815 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,181,912 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Solet 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
290
1 in 1,181,912
Census rank
#80,815
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
253
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 253 bearers of the surname Solet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 80815th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Solet, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 45.5%. The next largest groups are White (37.9%) and Two or More Races (6.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Solet
The surname SOLET has its origins in France, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "solet," meaning a small sun or a little ray of sunlight. This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone with a sunny or cheerful disposition.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SOLET surname can be found in the parish records of Normandy, France, where a Pierre SOLET was born in 1578. In the 17th century, the name appears in various documents in the regions of Brittany and Poitou.
During the reign of Louis XIV in the late 17th century, a notable figure named Jean-Baptiste SOLET served as a French military officer and diplomat. He was born in 1652 and played a role in the negotiations leading to the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697.
In the 18th century, the SOLET name gained prominence in the world of arts and literature. Antoine SOLET (1731-1805) was a celebrated French painter known for his portraits and historical scenes. His contemporary, Marie-Thérèse SOLET (1748-1821), was a renowned writer and poet who published several volumes of poetry and plays.
The 19th century saw the SOLET name spread across Europe, with records of individuals bearing this surname in various countries. One notable figure was Émile SOLET (1834-1892), a Belgian architect who designed several prominent buildings in Brussels, including the Palais des Beaux-Arts.
As the SOLET family dispersed across different regions, the name underwent slight variations in spelling, such as SOLLET, SOLLIET, and SOLLIETTE. These variations can be found in historical records from various parts of France and neighboring countries.
While the SOLET surname is not among the most common in France today, it has a rich history spanning centuries and has been associated with notable figures in fields such as military, arts, literature, and architecture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Solet
Among Census respondents with the surname Solet, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 45.5%. The next largest groups are White (37.9%) and Two or More Races (6.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Solet 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 Solet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- American Indian and Alaska Native45.5% · 115
- White37.9% · 96
- Two or more races6.3% · 16
- Black or African American5.1% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Solet
Solet 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
#79,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 241
+31 bearers (+14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 4,226 places
2020
#80,815
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 253
+12 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 1,740 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #83,301 | 210 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #79,075 | 241 | 0.08 | +31 bearers (+14.8%) | Up 4,226 places |
| 2020 | #80,815 | 253 | 0.08 | +12 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 1,740 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 Solet 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 | #79,075 | #80,815 | -2.2% |
| Count | 241 | 253 | 5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | 5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Solet bearers went from 241 to 253 (+5.0% change). The surname moved down 1,740 positions in the national ranking, going from #79,075 to #80,815.
FAQ
Solet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Solet?
Name Census estimates that about 290 living Americans carry the surname Solet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,181,912 residents.
How common is Solet?
Solet ranks #80,815 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 253 people with the surname Solet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (290), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Solet.
Has Solet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Solet went from 241 recorded bearers to 253. That is an increase of 12 (+5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #79,075 to #80,815.
What does the Census say about the background of Solet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Solet, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 45.5%. The next largest groups are White (37.9%) and Two or More Races (6.3%). 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?
American Indian/Alaska Native is the largest self-reported group for the surname Solet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.5% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Solet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are American Indian/Alaska Native (45.5%), White (37.9%), Two or More Races (6.3%). 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 Solet (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 Solet mean?
A Catalan surname derived from the diminutive of sol (sun). 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 Solet (0.08 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 Solet?
Want to know how common the surname Solet is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.