2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Sossi
Italian surname derived from the Greek word "sosis" meaning "salvation" or "savior".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Sossi. 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 Sossi 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 Sossi 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 Sossi, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sossi
The surname Sossi is of Italian origin, tracing its roots back to the regions of Tuscany and Umbria during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "sosso," which means "rocky place" or "stony ground," suggesting that the name may have initially been associated with families living in or near such terrain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sossi can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of historical documents from the Lombard Kingdom in Italy, dating back to the 8th century. This mention suggests that the name had already established itself in the region by that time.
In the 11th century, the name appeared in the Cartulario di Montefalco, a cartulary (a medieval manuscript record) from the town of Montefalco in Umbria. This document references a certain "Sosso de Montefalco," indicating the possible origin of the surname from this locality.
Throughout the centuries, the surname Sossi has been associated with several notable individuals. One such person was Pietro Sossi (1592-1653), an Italian painter and architect from Siena, Tuscany, who was known for his fresco works in churches and palaces across Italy.
Another noteworthy figure was Girolamo Sossi (1718-1798), a renowned Italian mathematician and astronomer from Piacenza. He made significant contributions to the fields of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
In the 19th century, the name gained prominence with Cesare Sossi (1838-1899), an Italian politician and journalist from Rovigo, Veneto. He served as a deputy in the Italian Parliament and was actively involved in the Risorgimento movement for Italian unification.
The Sossi surname also had a presence in the literary world with Vincenzo Sossi (1868-1943), an Italian poet and writer from Catania, Sicily. He was known for his works exploring Sicilian culture and traditions, as well as his contributions to the Verismo literary movement.
Lastly, Pietro Sossi (1903-1984) was a prominent Italian sculptor from Genoa. His works, which often depicted human forms and religious themes, can be found in various churches and public spaces throughout Italy.
While the name may have evolved in its spelling and pronunciation over time, the surname Sossi has maintained its Italian heritage, carrying with it a rich history that spans across multiple regions and disciplines.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sossi
Among Census respondents with the surname Sossi, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Sossi 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 Sossi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.5% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino12.6% · 15
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sossi
Sossi 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 7,164 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-15 bearers (-11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,294 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,164 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.2%) | Down 15,294 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 Sossi 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 | #127,494 | #142,788 | -12.0% |
| Count | 134 | 119 | -11.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sossi bearers went from 134 to 119 (-11.2% change). The surname moved down 15,294 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #142,788.
FAQ
Sossi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sossi?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Sossi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Sossi?
Sossi 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 Sossi. 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 Sossi.
Has Sossi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sossi went from 134 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Sossi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sossi, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Sossi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sossi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.5%), Hispanic (12.6%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Sossi (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 Sossi mean?
Italian surname derived from the Greek word "sosis" meaning "salvation" or "savior". 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 Sossi (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 people are called Sossi?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Sossi, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.