2000
#4,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,479
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.40
Rare Last name
Soper
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of soap.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,854 Americans carry the last name Soper. That puts it at #5,612 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,008 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Soper 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Soper with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.9K
1 in 50,008
Census rank
#5,612
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,977 bearers of the surname Soper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5612th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Soper, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Soper
Among Census respondents with the surname Soper, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Soper 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 Soper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 5,463
- Two or more races4.0% · 240
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 167
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 39
- Black or African American0.5% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Soper
Soper 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
#5,420
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,421
-58 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 2.18
Rank movement Down 444 places
2020
#5,612
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,977
-444 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 2.00
Rank movement Down 192 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,976 | 6,479 | 2.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,420 | 6,421 | 2.18 | -58 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 444 places |
| 2020 | #5,612 | 5,977 | 2.00 | -444 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 192 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 Soper 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 | #5,420 | #5,612 | -3.5% |
| Count | 6,421 | 5,977 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.18 | 2.00 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Soper bearers went from 6,421 to 5,977 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 192 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,420 to #5,612.
FAQ
Soper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Soper?
Name Census estimates that about 6,854 living Americans carry the surname Soper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,008 residents.
How common is Soper?
Soper ranks #5,612 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,977 people with the surname Soper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,854), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Soper.
Has Soper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Soper went from 6,421 recorded bearers to 5,977. That is a decrease of 444 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,420 to #5,612.
What does the Census say about the background of Soper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Soper, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Soper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (5,463 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Soper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Soper (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 Soper mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of soap. 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 Soper (2.00 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 are called Soper?
Want to know how many people have the last name Soper? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.