2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Solvie
A surname potentially derived from the French term "solvere," meaning to untie or solve.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Solvie. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Solvie 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Solvie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Solvie, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Solvie
The surname SOLVIE is of Norwegian origin, with its roots dating back to the Viking Age (c. 793-1066 AD). It is believed to be derived from the Old Norse words "sól" meaning "sun" and "ví" meaning "sacred place" or "temple". This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals who lived near or maintained a pagan temple dedicated to the sun.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SOLVIE surname can be found in the Codex Regius, an ancient manuscript containing Old Norse poetry, including the Eddic poem "Völuspá". This manuscript, dated to around 1270 AD, mentions a person named "Sólví Hákonarson" who is believed to have been a prominent figure in Iceland during the late 12th or early 13th century.
In the 14th century, the SOLVIE name appears in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian historical documents. Here, a man named "Eirik Solvie" is mentioned as a landowner in the region of Trøndelag, Norway, around the year 1325.
During the 16th century, there are records of a Norwegian family named SOLVIE residing in the town of Ålesund. One notable member of this family was Peder Solvie (1523-1598), a merchant and ship owner who played a significant role in the town's maritime trade.
In the 17th century, the SOLVIE name gained prominence in Sweden, with the birth of Nils Solvie (1638-1710), a Swedish military officer who served in the Scanian War and the Great Northern War. His descendants continued to hold influential positions in the Swedish nobility for several generations.
Another noteworthy individual with the SOLVIE surname was Hans Solvie (1792-1865), a Norwegian author and poet from the town of Christiania (now Oslo). His works, which often explored themes of nature and rural life, were widely celebrated during the Norwegian romantic nationalist movement.
Throughout its history, the SOLVIE surname has maintained a strong presence in Scandinavia, particularly in Norway and Sweden. While the name's meaning and origins can be traced back to the Viking Age, it has evolved and adapted over the centuries, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Solvie
Among Census respondents with the surname Solvie, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Solvie 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 Solvie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 103
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Solvie
Solvie 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-11 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 22,234 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+9 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,770 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 22,234 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 10,770 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 Solvie 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 | #160,975 | #150,205 | 6.7% |
| Count | 100 | 109 | 9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 21.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Solvie bearers went from 100 to 109 (+9.0% change). The surname moved up 10,770 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #150,205.
FAQ
Solvie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Solvie?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Solvie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Solvie?
Solvie ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Solvie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Solvie.
Has Solvie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Solvie went from 100 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 9 (+9.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Solvie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Solvie, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%) and Hispanic (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 Solvie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Solvie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%), Hispanic (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 Solvie (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 Solvie mean?
A surname potentially derived from the French term "solvere," meaning to untie or solve. 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 Solvie (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 share the surname Solvie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.