2000
#7,823
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,923
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Souder
Derived from the Middle High German word "sūder," referring to someone who lived or worked in the southern part of a town or village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,206 Americans carry the last name Souder. That puts it at #8,601 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,492 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Souder 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
4.2K
1 in 81,492
Census rank
#8,601
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,668 bearers of the surname Souder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8601st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Souder, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Souder
The surname Souder is of German origin, derived from the Old German word "souter" or "suter," which means "shoemaker" or "cobbler." It is believed to have originated in the 14th century in the regions of southern Germany and Switzerland.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the late medieval period, with references found in various town records and church registers. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Souder, a shoemaker who lived in the town of Freiburg, Germany, in the late 15th century.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, many German families with the surname Souder emigrated to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and England. Some notable individuals from this period include Johann Souder (1562-1621), a German Protestant theologian and professor at the University of Heidelberg, and Peter Souder (1589-1654), a Dutch merchant and shipowner who played a significant role in the Dutch East India Company.
As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Sauder, Sauther, and Sutter. In the 18th and 19th centuries, many German families with the surname Souder immigrated to North America, particularly to Pennsylvania and other parts of the United States.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Souder was John Souder (1815-1891), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Another notable figure was George Souder (1856-1932), a Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.
Other prominent individuals with the surname Souder include William Souder (1837-1909), an American Civil War veteran and founder of the town of Souder, Missouri, and Mary Souder (1875-1957), an American artist and illustrator known for her works depicting Native American life.
Throughout its history, the surname Souder has maintained a strong connection to its origins as a shoemaker or cobbler, reflecting the importance of this trade in medieval and early modern European societies. Despite its German roots, the name has spread across various countries and continents, becoming a part of diverse cultural and historical narratives.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Souder
Among Census respondents with the surname Souder, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Souder 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 Souder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.3% · 3,164
- Black or African American6.2% · 227
- Two or more races3.7% · 135
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Souder
Souder 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
#8,342
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,968
+45 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 519 places
2020
#8,601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,668
-300 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 259 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,823 | 3,923 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,342 | 3,968 | 1.35 | +45 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 519 places |
| 2020 | #8,601 | 3,668 | 1.23 | -300 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 259 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 Souder 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 | #8,342 | #8,601 | -3.1% |
| Count | 3,968 | 3,668 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.35 | 1.23 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Souder bearers went from 3,968 to 3,668 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 259 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,342 to #8,601.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Souder
FAQ
Souder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Souder?
Name Census estimates that about 4,206 living Americans carry the surname Souder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,492 residents.
How common is Souder?
Souder ranks #8,601 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 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 3,668 people with the surname Souder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,206), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 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 Souder.
Has Souder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Souder went from 3,968 recorded bearers to 3,668. That is a decrease of 300 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,342 to #8,601.
What does the Census say about the background of Souder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Souder, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Souder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.3% (3,164 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Souder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.3%), Black (6.2%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Souder (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 Souder mean?
Derived from the Middle High German word "sūder," referring to someone who lived or worked in the southern part of a town or village. 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 Souder (1.23 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 Souder?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.