2000
#9,246
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,243
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Soltis
A Hungarian occupational surname referring to a salt maker or trader.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,363 Americans carry the last name Soltis. That puts it at #10,451 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,919 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Soltis 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
3.4K
1 in 101,919
Census rank
#10,451
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,933 bearers of the surname Soltis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10451st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Soltis, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Soltis
The surname Soltis has its origins in Eastern Europe, particularly in areas that are now part of Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus. It is believed to have emerged in the 15th or 16th century as a variant of the Polish surname Sołtys or Sołtysiak, which was derived from the Polish word "sołtys," meaning a village mayor or administrator.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Soltis can be found in historical records and documents from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. One notable example is Jan Soltis, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in the late 16th century and was mentioned in the records of the city of Lviv (now in Ukraine).
In the 17th century, the name Soltis appeared in various manuscripts and records related to the Polish nobility and gentry. For instance, the Soltis family was mentioned in the Akta Metryki Koronnej, a collection of official documents from the Polish Crown Chancery.
As the name spread across Eastern Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Soltys, Soltysiak, and Soltysek, reflecting regional linguistic variations and scribal conventions of the time. These variations were often influenced by the local dialects and languages of the areas where the name was used.
One notable figure in history who bore the surname Soltis was Andrzej Soltis, a Polish military commander who fought alongside King Jan III Sobieski during the Battle of Vienna in 1683. Soltis played a significant role in the historic victory over the Ottoman Empire, which halted the Turkish advance into Europe.
In the 19th century, the name Soltis was associated with several prominent individuals, including Jerzy Soltis (1826-1903), a Polish writer and journalist who contributed to the literary and cultural life of Poland during the period of partitions.
Another notable figure was Maria Soltis (1870-1945), a Polish educator and women's rights activist who fought for equal access to education for girls and was a pioneer in the field of women's empowerment in Poland.
The surname Soltis has also been found in other parts of Europe, particularly in areas with significant Polish or Eastern European diaspora communities. For example, historical records indicate that individuals with the surname Soltis settled in parts of Germany, France, and even the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Soltis
Among Census respondents with the surname Soltis, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Soltis 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 Soltis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 2,732
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 94
- Two or more races2.3% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 29
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Soltis
Soltis 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
#9,879
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,273
+30 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 633 places
2020
#10,451
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,933
-340 bearers (-10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 572 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,246 | 3,243 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,879 | 3,273 | 1.11 | +30 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 633 places |
| 2020 | #10,451 | 2,933 | 0.98 | -340 bearers (-10.4%) | Down 572 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 Soltis 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 | #9,879 | #10,451 | -5.8% |
| Count | 3,273 | 2,933 | -10.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.11 | 0.98 | -11.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Soltis bearers went from 3,273 to 2,933 (-10.4% change). The surname moved down 572 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,879 to #10,451.
FAQ
Soltis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Soltis?
Name Census estimates that about 3,363 living Americans carry the surname Soltis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,919 residents.
How common is Soltis?
Soltis ranks #10,451 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 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 2,933 people with the surname Soltis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,363), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 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 Soltis.
Has Soltis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Soltis went from 3,273 recorded bearers to 2,933. That is a decrease of 340 (-10.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,879 to #10,451.
What does the Census say about the background of Soltis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Soltis, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Soltis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (2,732 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Soltis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Soltis (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 Soltis mean?
A Hungarian occupational surname referring to a salt maker or trader. 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 Soltis (0.98 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 Soltis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.