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

Southey, 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 Southey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Southey in America

Southey is the 138304th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Southey surname appeared 121 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 Southey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Southey 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.

The history of the last name Southey

The surname Southey originates from England, deriving from the Old English words "suth" meaning south and "eg" meaning an island or piece of dry ground. It likely emerged as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived in a southern region or near a southern island or raised area of land.

The earliest known record of the surname dates back to the 13th century in the English counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset. Variations of the spelling included Southeye, Southey, and Southy. The name is also found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, an important historical census record from the reign of King Edward I.

In the 14th century, a John Southey is recorded as living in Staverton, Somerset in 1327. Around the same time, the surname appeared in the Poll Tax records of Yorkshire in 1379 as William Southey.

The poet Robert Southey (1774-1843) was one of the most famous bearers of this surname. He was appointed Poet Laureate in 1813 and is known for works such as The Curse of Kehama and The Life of Nelson.

Other notable individuals with the Southey surname include Sir Richard Southey (1504-1564), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1538, and Thomas Southey (1777-1838), a writer and brother of the poet Robert Southey.

In the 17th century, the name appears in parish records from Devon, with a John Southey recorded in the parish of Halberton in 1625. The surname is also found in the nearby parish of Cullompton in 1672 with the baptism of John Southey.

Moving forward to the 18th century, the Reverend Henry Southey (1737-1808) was a Church of England clergyman who served as Rector of Fitzhead in Somerset. His son, Henry Herbert Southey (1783-1865), was a notable English writer and biographer.

Overall, the surname Southey has a rich history spanning multiple centuries in England, particularly concentrated in the southern regions. Its locational origins and variations in spelling offer insights into the lives and movements of its earliest bearers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Southey

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

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 Southey was:

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

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

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

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