2000
#8,808
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,424
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.27
Rare Last name
Sotomayor
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of various places called Sotomayor, meaning "greater thicket."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,880 Americans carry the last name Sotomayor. That puts it at #7,534 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,237 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sotomayor 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
4.9K
1 in 70,237
Census rank
#7,534
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,256 bearers of the surname Sotomayor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7534th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sotomayor, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.4%. The next largest groups are White (8.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sotomayor
The surname Sotomayor originated in Spain, tracing its roots back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Galician phrase "soto o mayor," which means "the larger grove or thicket." This suggests that the name may have originated as a toponymic surname, referring to a particular place or region known for its larger groves or wooded areas.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Sotomayor can be found in medieval Spanish documents and records. One notable example is the appearance of the name in the "Libro de las Behetrías de Castilla," a 14th-century manuscript that documented the land ownership and tax obligations of various regions in Castile.
During the 15th century, the Sotomayor family gained prominence in Spain, particularly in the regions of Galicia and Castile. Juan Sotomayor y Figueroa (1450-1516), a Spanish nobleman and military leader, played a significant role in the conquest of Granada and was later appointed as the first governor of Cuba by King Ferdinand II of Aragon.
In the 16th century, the Sotomayor family expanded its influence to the Americas through the Spanish colonization efforts. Álvaro de Sotomayor y Valmediano (1525-1593), a Spanish conquistador and explorer, was one of the founders of the city of Copiapó in present-day Chile.
Another notable figure with the surname Sotomayor was Gaspar de Sotomayor y Silva (1584-1648), a Spanish military commander and viceroy of New Spain (present-day Mexico) from 1642 to 1648. He played a crucial role in defending the territory against internal unrest and external threats during his tenure.
In the 18th century, José Sotomayor y Terrazas (1703-1768) was a prominent Spanish military officer and governor of Havana, Cuba, from 1761 to 1768. He oversaw the reconstruction efforts in Havana after the city was captured by the British during the Seven Years' War.
The surname Sotomayor has also been associated with various place names and historical locations throughout Spain and Latin America. For example, the town of Sotomayor in Galicia, Spain, and the Sotomayor Municipality in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico, are named after individuals or families bearing this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sotomayor
Among Census respondents with the surname Sotomayor, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.4%. The next largest groups are White (8.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sotomayor 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 Sotomayor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.4% · 3,806
- White8.4% · 356
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 40
- Black or African American0.8% · 33
- Two or more races0.4% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sotomayor
Sotomayor 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
#7,859
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,210
+786 bearers (+23.0%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Up 949 places
2020
#7,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,256
+46 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Up 325 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,808 | 3,424 | 1.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,859 | 4,210 | 1.43 | +786 bearers (+23.0%) | Up 949 places |
| 2020 | #7,534 | 4,256 | 1.42 | +46 bearers (+1.1%) | Up 325 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 Sotomayor 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 | #7,859 | #7,534 | 4.1% |
| Count | 4,210 | 4,256 | 1.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.43 | 1.42 | -0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sotomayor bearers went from 4,210 to 4,256 (+1.1% change). The surname moved up 325 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,859 to #7,534.
FAQ
Sotomayor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sotomayor?
Name Census estimates that about 4,880 living Americans carry the surname Sotomayor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,237 residents.
How common is Sotomayor?
Sotomayor ranks #7,534 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,256 people with the surname Sotomayor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,880), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sotomayor.
Has Sotomayor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sotomayor went from 4,210 recorded bearers to 4,256. That is an increase of 46 (+1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,859 to #7,534.
What does the Census say about the background of Sotomayor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sotomayor, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.4%. The next largest groups are White (8.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Sotomayor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (3,806 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sotomayor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.4%), White (8.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Sotomayor (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 Sotomayor mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of various places called Sotomayor, meaning "greater thicket." 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 Sotomayor (1.42 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 common is the surname Sotomayor?
See how many Americans have the surname Sotomayor on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.