Find out how popular the last name Soper is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Soper.

Soper, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Soper surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Soper in America

Soper is the 5420th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Soper surname appeared 6,421 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Soper.

We can also compare 2010 data for Soper to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Soper

The surname Soper originated in England during the medieval period. It derived from the Old English word 'sophere', meaning a seller of soup or other liquid provisions. The earliest recorded spelling was Sopere, found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.

In the 14th century, the name appeared as Sopere, Soper, and Soupere in various records across southern England. The Soper family was particularly prominent in London, with several members holding important civic positions, such as John Soper, who served as an alderman in the city in the late 1300s.

The Domesday Book of 1086 does not contain any direct references to the Soper surname, but it does mention several places with similar names, such as Sopworth in Wiltshire and Sopers in Essex, suggesting that the name may have originated from these locations.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Soper name was William Soper, a member of the Guild of Cordwainers (shoemakers) in London, who was mentioned in the city's records in 1349. Another notable early bearer of the name was Robert Soper, a wealthy merchant and landowner in Norfolk, who died in 1440.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Soper name continued to be prominent in London and other parts of southern England. Sir John Soper, a merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers, served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1572.

In the late 18th century, John Soper (1719-1796) was a successful banker and philanthropist in London, known for his support of various charitable causes. Another notable Soper was Sir Robert Soper (1786-1853), a British naval officer who served with distinction during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.

As the name spread across England, variations in spelling emerged, such as Soaper, Souper, and Soupere. Some Soper families also adopted the surname Sopp or Sopp-Soper, reflecting regional dialects and pronunciation differences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Soper

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Soper.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Soper was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Soper has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Soper was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Soper, please contact us.

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