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

Sopher, 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 Sopher surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sopher in America

Sopher is the 24483rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sopher surname appeared 1,022 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Sopher.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sopher 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 Sopher

The surname SOPHER is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "sop," meaning "a liquid or semi-liquid food." It likely referred to an occupation or trade involving the preparation or selling of soups or broths. The name first appeared in the 13th century, with early recordings including Robert le Sopher in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1203.

SOPHER was a relatively uncommon name, but it was found scattered throughout England in medieval times. One of the earliest recorded mentions was in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex in 1285, where a Walter le Sopher was listed. The name also appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, with a John le Sopher mentioned.

In the 15th century, the name began to evolve into its more modern spelling. The Hearth Tax Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1674 listed a John Sopher, while the Parish Records of Gloucestershire in 1684 recorded the marriage of William Sopher and Mary Coates.

One notable bearer of the SOPHER name was Thomas Sopher (1628-1703), an English clergyman and academic who served as Rector of St. Bartholomew's Church in London and as a Fellow of the Royal Society. Another was John Sopher (1703-1778), a British playwright and author who wrote several popular comedies in the mid-18th century.

In the 19th century, the SOPHER name gained some prominence with the birth of Henry Sopher (1845-1919), a British industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Sopher Engineering Company and made significant contributions to education and social welfare in his hometown of Birmingham.

Other notable individuals with the SOPHER surname include Charles Sopher (1876-1942), a British barrister and legal scholar who served as a Judge of the High Court of Justice in India, and Frederick Sopher (1902-1983), an American geographer and professor at the University of Pennsylvania who specialized in the study of Southeast Asia.

While SOPHER is not a particularly common surname today, it has a rich history rooted in the occupations and traditions of medieval England, and its bearers have made significant contributions in various fields over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sopher

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

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 Sopher 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 Sopher 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 Sopher was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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