2000
#2,177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,308
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.67
Uncommon Last name
Sotelo
A Spanish habitational surname derived from any of several places named Sotelo, likely meaning "subtle" or "clever."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 23,214 Americans carry the last name Sotelo. That puts it at #1,731 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,765 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sotelo 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
23K
1 in 14,765
Census rank
#1,731
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,244 bearers of the surname Sotelo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1731st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sotelo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sotelo
The surname Sotelo originated in Spain, deriving from the Spanish word "sotelo," which means a small grove or thicket of trees. It is believed to have first emerged in the 12th or 13th century as a locational name, referring to someone who lived near or came from a small wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sotelo can be found in the Cartulario de Santo Toribio de Liébana, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 13th century. This document mentions a person named Domingo Sotelo, suggesting the surname's use during that time period.
The Sotelo surname has roots in various regions of Spain, particularly in the northern provinces of Asturias, Cantabria, and Castile and León. It is also found in other parts of the country, likely due to migration patterns over the centuries.
In the 14th century, there is a record of a nobleman named Pedro Sotelo, who served as a knight in the service of King Alfonso XI of Castile. This historical figure is mentioned in the Crónica de Alfonso XI, a chronicle written during that era.
During the 16th century, a notable individual with the surname Sotelo was Luis Sotelo, a Spanish theologian and philosopher born in 1574 and died in 1624. He was known for his works on moral theology and his contributions to the intellectual discourse of his time.
Another prominent figure was Ramón Sotelo, a Spanish military officer and politician who lived from 1881 to 1936. He played a significant role in the Spanish Civil War and was assassinated in 1936, becoming a martyr for the Nationalist cause.
In the 20th century, one of the most renowned individuals with the surname Sotelo was Joaquín Sotelo, a Spanish painter and sculptor born in 1905 and died in 1987. He was a prominent figure in the Spanish art scene and is celebrated for his abstract and cubist works.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who carried the surname Sotelo, reflecting its deep roots and significance within Spanish culture and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sotelo
Among Census respondents with the surname Sotelo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Sotelo 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 Sotelo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.3% · 18,492
- White5.3% · 1,079
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.3% · 462
- Two or more races0.7% · 140
- Black or African American0.2% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sotelo
Sotelo 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
#1,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,455
+6,147 bearers (+40.2%)
Per 100,000 7.27
Rank movement Up 498 places
2020
#1,731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,244
-1,211 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 6.77
Rank movement Down 52 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,177 | 15,308 | 5.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,679 | 21,455 | 7.27 | +6,147 bearers (+40.2%) | Up 498 places |
| 2020 | #1,731 | 20,244 | 6.77 | -1,211 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 52 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 Sotelo 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 | #1,679 | #1,731 | -3.1% |
| Count | 21,455 | 20,244 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 7.27 | 6.77 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sotelo bearers went from 21,455 to 20,244 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 52 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,679 to #1,731.
FAQ
Sotelo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sotelo?
Name Census estimates that about 23,214 living Americans carry the surname Sotelo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,765 residents.
How common is Sotelo?
Sotelo ranks #1,731 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,244 people with the surname Sotelo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (23,214), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Sotelo.
Has Sotelo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sotelo went from 21,455 recorded bearers to 20,244. That is a decrease of 1,211 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,679 to #1,731.
What does the Census say about the background of Sotelo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sotelo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sotelo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (18,492 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sotelo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.3%), White (5.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%). 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 Sotelo (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 Sotelo mean?
A Spanish habitational surname derived from any of several places named Sotelo, likely meaning "subtle" or "clever." 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 Sotelo (6.77 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 Americans have the surname Sotelo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.