2000
#11,459
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,521
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Souther
One who came from the south or lived in the southern part of a village or town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,625 Americans carry the last name Souther. That puts it at #12,848 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,573 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Souther 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Souther with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 130,573
Census rank
#12,848
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,289 bearers of the surname Souther in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12848th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Souther, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Souther
The surname Souther has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the Old English words "sūth" and "hēre," meaning "south" and "army" respectively. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a southern military encampment or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1273, where it appears as "Southere." This document was a survey of landholdings and tenants, indicating that the Souther name was already established in England by that time.
The Souther name has also been linked to various place names in England, such as Suthereye in Essex, Sutherland in Yorkshire, and Sutherfield in Northamptonshire. These locations may have been the original places of origin for families bearing the Souther surname.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, where it is recorded as "Sowther." This variation in spelling was common during that era, as standardized spellings were not yet widely established.
Notable individuals with the Souther surname include:
1. John Souther (c. 1540-1615), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Taunton in 1597.
2. William Souther (1598-1662), an English clergyman and scholar who was appointed as the Master of St. John's College, Cambridge in 1641.
3. Thomas Souther (1642-1699), an English merchant and landowner who was a prominent figure in the city of Bristol during the late 17th century.
4. Elizabeth Souther (1670-1745), an English writer and poet who published several collections of verse during her lifetime.
5. James Souther (1795-1876), a British explorer and adventurer who traveled extensively in Africa and Asia, and published accounts of his journeys.
While the Souther name has undergone various spellings throughout its history, it has maintained a presence in England for centuries, with its origins rooted in the country's rich linguistic and geographical heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Souther
Among Census respondents with the surname Souther, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Souther 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 Souther surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 2,120
- Two or more races3.4% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- Black or African American0.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Souther
Souther 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
#12,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,539
+18 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 791 places
2020
#12,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,289
-250 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 598 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,459 | 2,521 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,250 | 2,539 | 0.86 | +18 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 791 places |
| 2020 | #12,848 | 2,289 | 0.77 | -250 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 598 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 Souther 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 | #12,250 | #12,848 | -4.9% |
| Count | 2,539 | 2,289 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.77 | -11.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Souther bearers went from 2,539 to 2,289 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 598 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,250 to #12,848.
FAQ
Souther surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Souther?
Name Census estimates that about 2,625 living Americans carry the surname Souther. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,573 residents.
How common is Souther?
Souther ranks #12,848 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,289 people with the surname Souther. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,625), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Souther.
Has Souther become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Souther went from 2,539 recorded bearers to 2,289. That is a decrease of 250 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,250 to #12,848.
What does the Census say about the background of Souther?
Among Census respondents with the surname Souther, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Souther in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (2,120 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Souther appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Souther (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 Souther mean?
One who came from the south or lived in the southern part of a village or town. 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 Souther (0.77 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 people have the surname Souther?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.