2000
#96,033
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 176
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Sosenko
A Ukrainian surname potentially derived from the word "sosna" meaning pine tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 165 Americans carry the last name Sosenko. That puts it at #125,089 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,077,299 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sosenko 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
165
1 in 2,077,299
Census rank
#125,089
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
144
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 144 bearers of the surname Sosenko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 125089th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sosenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sosenko
The surname Sosenko originates from Ukraine, tracing its roots back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Ukrainian word "sosna," meaning pine tree. This suggests that the name may have been associated with people who lived near pine forests or worked with pine wood.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sosenko can be found in the Lvivskyy Stavropihiyskyy Monastery archives from the late 1500s. These archives contain records of monastery residents, including a monk named Yuriy Sosenko.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various historical documents from the Poltava region of Ukraine. One notable mention is in the Poltava Regimental Books from 1654, which list a Cossack soldier named Ivan Sosenko.
The Sosenko surname can also be traced back to the village of Sosenky, located in the Chernihiv region of Ukraine. It is possible that the name originated from this village, which translates to "pine grove" in Ukrainian.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Sosenko. One example is Hryhoriy Sosenko (1874-1946), a Ukrainian writer and journalist who played a significant role in the cultural and literary life of Ukraine in the early 20th century.
Another prominent figure was Yevhen Sosenko (1899-1968), a Ukrainian sculptor and artist known for his monumental works and sculptures that adorned public spaces in Kyiv and other cities.
In the field of science, Volodymyr Sosenko (1921-2008) was a renowned Ukrainian physicist and academic. He made significant contributions to the study of solid-state physics and was a professor at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
The name Sosenko can also be found in historical records from other regions of Eastern Europe, such as Belarus and Russia. However, its origins and strongest historical presence lie in Ukraine.
It is worth noting that the surname Sosenko has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Sosenko, Sosenok, and Sosnovskiy, among others. These variations often reflected regional dialects or linguistic adaptations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sosenko
Among Census respondents with the surname Sosenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Sosenko 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 Sosenko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 136
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 3
- Two or more races2.1% · 3
- Black or African American0.7% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sosenko
Sosenko 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
#104,602
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 171
-5 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 8,569 places
2020
#125,089
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 144
-27 bearers (-15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 20,487 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #96,033 | 176 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #104,602 | 171 | 0.06 | -5 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 8,569 places |
| 2020 | #125,089 | 144 | 0.05 | -27 bearers (-15.8%) | Down 20,487 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 Sosenko 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 | #104,602 | #125,089 | -19.6% |
| Count | 171 | 144 | -15.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.05 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sosenko bearers went from 171 to 144 (-15.8% change). The surname moved down 20,487 positions in the national ranking, going from #104,602 to #125,089.
FAQ
Sosenko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sosenko?
Name Census estimates that about 165 living Americans carry the surname Sosenko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,077,299 residents.
How common is Sosenko?
Sosenko ranks #125,089 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 144 people with the surname Sosenko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (165), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Sosenko.
Has Sosenko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sosenko went from 171 recorded bearers to 144. That is a decrease of 27 (-15.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #104,602 to #125,089.
What does the Census say about the background of Sosenko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sosenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Sosenko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (136 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sosenko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Hispanic (2.1%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Sosenko (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 Sosenko mean?
A Ukrainian surname potentially derived from the word "sosna" meaning pine tree. 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 Sosenko (0.05 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 have the surname Sosenko?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.