2010
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Somohano
Americanized Spanish surname originally describing someone from the town of Somohano or nearby.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Somohano. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Somohano 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Somohano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Somohano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.4%. The next largest groups are White (16.8%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Somohano
The surname Somohano is of Spanish origin, originating from the region of Castile in the 13th century. It is derived from the Spanish words "soma" meaning summit or peak, and "hano" from the Latin word "planus" which translates to flat or level ground. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a flat area at the top of a hill or mountain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Somohano name can be found in the "Becerro de Behetrias" manuscript from 1352, which was a census-like record of properties and landowners in the Kingdom of Castile. This document mentions a Juan Somohano as the owner of a parcel of land in the village of Somohano, located in the present-day province of Burgos.
The name Somohano is also associated with a small town in the province of Ávila, called Somohano de Buenavista, which likely took its name from the geographic features of the area or from early settlers with the Somohano surname. This town is first mentioned in historical records dating back to the 14th century.
Notable individuals with the Somohano surname throughout history include:
1. Pedro Somohano (1456-1521), a Spanish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Reconquista against the Moors.
2. María Somohano (1567-1638), a Spanish mystic and abbess of the Convent of Santa Clara in Valladolid.
3. Andrés Somohano (1692-1756), a Spanish sculptor known for his works in churches throughout Castile.
4. Juana Somohano (1724-1802), a Spanish painter and one of the few female artists recognized during the 18th century.
5. Miguel Somohano (1876-1948), a Spanish politician and diplomat who served as the Spanish ambassador to the United States in the 1920s.
While the Somohano surname is not as common as some other Spanish surnames, it has a rich history rooted in the medieval period and has been borne by notable figures in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Somohano
Among Census respondents with the surname Somohano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.4%. The next largest groups are White (16.8%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Somohano 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 Somohano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino82.4% · 98
- White16.8% · 20
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Somohano
Somohano appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-5 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,195 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 7,195 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 Somohano 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 | #135,593 | #142,788 | -5.3% |
| Count | 124 | 119 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Somohano bearers went from 124 to 119 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 7,195 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #142,788.
FAQ
Somohano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Somohano?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Somohano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Somohano?
Somohano ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Somohano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Somohano.
Has Somohano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Somohano went from 124 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Somohano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Somohano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.4%. The next largest groups are White (16.8%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Somohano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.4% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Somohano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (82.4%), White (16.8%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Somohano (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 Somohano mean?
Americanized Spanish surname originally describing someone from the town of Somohano or nearby. 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 Somohano (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 Americans have the surname Somohano?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.