2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Soltwedel
A topographic surname indicating someone from a town or region named Soltwedel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Soltwedel. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Soltwedel 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Soltwedel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Soltwedel, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Soltwedel
The surname Soltwedel has its origins in the northern regions of Germany, dating back to the early medieval period around the 10th century. It is believed to be derived from the Low German words "solte" and "wedel," which together could refer to a swampy meadow or a creek flowing through a salt marsh.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents from the regions of Lower Saxony and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where it was often spelled as "Soltwedel" or variations such as "Soltwedele" and "Soltewedel." The name's association with specific geographical locations suggests that it may have been initially used as a locational surname, indicating the place of origin or residence of the family.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Soltwedel, a merchant and burgher who lived in the city of Lübeck in the 14th century. Records from that time period mention him as a prominent figure in the city's trade and commercial affairs.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in the records of the University of Rostock, where a student named Christoph Soltwedel was enrolled in the faculty of law in 1546. This indicates that members of the Soltwedel family were pursuing higher education and potentially involved in legal professions during that era.
Another notable individual with this surname was Johann Soltwedel, a Lutheran theologian and writer who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He authored several religious works and served as a pastor in various German cities, including Lübeck and Hamburg.
During the 18th century, the name Soltwedel gained recognition in the field of music with the composer and organist Johann Andreas Soltwedel, who was born in 1699 and served as the court organist in Kassel, Germany.
In the 19th century, the surname Soltwedel continued to be found in various regions of northern Germany, with individuals bearing this name documented in historical records and local chronicles. Some notable bearers of the name during this period include the writer and philosopher Franz Soltwedel, who lived in the early 1800s, and the politician and statesman Wilhelm Soltwedel, who served as a member of the Reichstag in the late 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Soltwedel
Among Census respondents with the surname Soltwedel, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Soltwedel 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 Soltwedel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 111
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Soltwedel
Soltwedel 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+10 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 894 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,020 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 894 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 1,020 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 Soltwedel 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 | #146,201 | #147,221 | -0.7% |
| Count | 113 | 113 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Soltwedel bearers went from 113 to 113 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 1,020 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #147,221.
FAQ
Soltwedel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Soltwedel?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Soltwedel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Soltwedel?
Soltwedel ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 113 people with the surname Soltwedel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Soltwedel.
Has Soltwedel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Soltwedel went from 113 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Soltwedel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Soltwedel, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Soltwedel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Soltwedel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.2%), Black (0.9%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Soltwedel (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 Soltwedel mean?
A topographic surname indicating someone from a town or region named Soltwedel. 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 Soltwedel (0.04 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 last name Soltwedel?
Want to know how many people have the last name Soltwedel? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.