Sota last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Sota

A Spanish toponymic surname derived from a placename referring to a grove or thicket.

Sota, 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 Sota surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sota in America

Sota is the 48800th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sota surname appeared 432 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 Sota.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sota 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 48800 52608 -7.51%
Count 432 370 15.46%
Proportion per 100k 0.15 0.14 6.90%

The history of the last name Sota

The surname SOTA has its origins in Spain, with the earliest records dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "sota," which means "under" or "beneath," suggesting a possible connection to a geographic location or an occupation related to living or working in a lower or underground area.

During the Middle Ages, the name SOTA appeared in several Spanish records and manuscripts, indicating its presence among families in various regions of the country. One notable reference is found in the archives of the city of Seville, where a document from 1487 mentions a certain Juan de Sota, a merchant involved in the trade of spices and textiles.

The earliest known bearer of the surname SOTA is Rodrigo de Sota, born in 1445 in the village of Pradoluengo, located in the province of Burgos, northern Spain. Rodrigo was a respected landowner and farmer whose descendants continued to use the SOTA surname in the region for generations.

Another prominent figure with the SOTA surname was María de Sota y Navarro (1568-1640), a renowned poet and writer from Seville. Her collection of sonnets and love poems, published in 1612, garnered widespread acclaim and influenced the literary circles of her time.

In the 17th century, the name SOTA appeared in various records related to the Spanish exploration and colonization of the Americas. One notable example is Hernán de Sota, a Spanish conquistador who led an expedition to Florida in 1539, although his surname is sometimes spelled as "de Soto" in historical accounts.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the SOTA surname spread to other parts of Europe and the Americas, with families bearing the name settling in countries such as France, Italy, and Argentina. One notable individual from this period was Emilio Sota y Román (1787-1866), a Spanish-born architect who designed several iconic buildings in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Throughout history, the SOTA surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including artists, writers, explorers, and landowners. While the exact origin and meaning of the name remain uncertain, its presence in numerous historical records and its endurance over centuries attest to its significance within the Spanish cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sota

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

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 Sota was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 32.87% 142
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.85% 8
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 8.80% 38
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 55.09% 238

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 Sota has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 32.87% 38.11% -14.76%
Black 1.85% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 8.80% 4.59% 62.88%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% 2.70% (S)%
Hispanic 55.09% 53.24% 3.42%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Sota last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on May 23, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/sota-surname-popularity/.

"Sota last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/sota-surname-popularity/. Accessed 23 May, 2025

Sota last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/sota-surname-popularity/.

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