2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Solsky
Slavic surname derived from sol' (salt) or soly (villages), referring to origins or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Solsky. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Solsky 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Solsky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Solsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Solsky
The surname Solsky is of Russian origin, with its earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Russian word "sol," meaning "salt," suggesting that the name may have been associated with those involved in the production or trade of salt.
One of the earliest documented references to the Solsky surname can be found in the Velvet Book, a register of Russian nobility compiled during the reign of Tsar Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) in the mid-16th century. This record mentions several individuals bearing the Solsky surname, indicating their noble status and potential involvement in salt-related activities or residing in areas known for salt production.
In the 17th century, a notable figure named Vasily Solsky (birth and death dates unknown) was mentioned in the chronicles of the Smolensk Uprising, a rebellion against Polish rule in the city of Smolensk. Vasily Solsky was reportedly one of the leaders of the rebellion, showcasing the involvement of individuals with this surname in significant historical events.
During the 18th century, the Solsky surname gained prominence in the city of Arzamas, located in the Nizhny Novgorod region of Russia. The Arzamas branch of the Solsky family produced several notable individuals, including Ivan Solsky (1720-1789), a successful merchant and landowner, and his son, Mikhail Solsky (1755-1821), a prominent figure in the local administration.
In the 19th century, the Solsky surname was also found in the Kaluga region of Russia. One notable bearer of this name was Nikolai Solsky (1828-1901), a respected lawyer and legal scholar who contributed significantly to the development of Russian jurisprudence.
Another individual of note was Konstantin Solsky (1870-1935), a renowned actor and theater director who co-founded the Moscow Art Theatre alongside Konstantin Stanislavski. Konstantin Solsky's contributions to the Russian theater scene left a lasting legacy, and his name is still celebrated in the world of performing arts.
Throughout its history, the Solsky surname has been associated with various areas of Russian society, including nobility, merchant class, administration, law, and the arts, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Solsky
Among Census respondents with the surname Solsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Solsky 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 Solsky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Solsky
Solsky 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-9 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,070 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 19,070 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 152 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 Solsky 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 | #154,907 | #154,755 | 0.1% |
| Count | 105 | 102 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Solsky bearers went from 105 to 102 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 152 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #154,755.
FAQ
Solsky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Solsky?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Solsky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Solsky?
Solsky ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Solsky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Solsky.
Has Solsky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Solsky went from 105 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Solsky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Solsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Solsky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Solsky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Solsky (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 Solsky mean?
Slavic surname derived from sol' (salt) or soly (villages), referring to origins or occupation. 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 Solsky (0.03 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 Solsky?
Find out how common the surname Solsky is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.