Sowter
A surname likely derived from the occupational term "souter" referring to a shoemaker.
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 137 Americans carry the last name Sowter. That puts it at #156,044 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,501,856 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sowter 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.
Sowter appeared in the 2010 Census surname file but was not included in the published 2020 file. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames with at least 100 recorded bearers, so this usually means the name fell below that threshold.
Bearers in the US
137
1 in 2,501,856
Census rank
#156,044
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Sowter in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156044th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sowter, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sowter
The surname Sowter originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word 'soutere', which means a shoemaker or cobbler. This occupational surname was likely given to individuals who worked as shoemakers or cobblers.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Sowter can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where a person named John le Soutere was listed in Oxfordshire. The Hundredorum Rolls were administrative records created during the reign of King Edward I.
In the 14th century, the surname Sowter appeared in various forms, such as Soutere, Souwter, and Soughter, reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. The name was particularly common in the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Berkshire.
One notable individual with the surname Sowter was William Sowter, a member of the Parliament of England during the reign of King Henry VIII in the 16th century. Records indicate that he was born in Oxfordshire in the late 15th century.
Another person of historical significance was John Sowter, who lived in the 17th century and was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of York. He was involved in various civic affairs and served as a sheriff of York in the 1660s.
In the 18th century, the surname Sowter was still relatively common in parts of England. Thomas Sowter, born in Buckinghamshire in 1712, was a renowned clockmaker and instrument maker. His craftsmanship and attention to detail earned him a reputation among the gentry and aristocracy of the time.
The surname Sowter can also be traced back to the village of Sowter's Green in Buckinghamshire, which likely derived its name from individuals bearing this surname who resided in the area.
Another significant figure with the surname Sowter was Robert Sowter, a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. He was born in Oxfordshire in 1785 and participated in several notable naval battles, including the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
While the surname Sowter is not as common today as it once was, it continues to be found in various parts of England, particularly in the counties where it originated. The name serves as a reminder of the importance of occupational surnames in medieval England and the rich history associated with this particular surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sowter
Among Census respondents with the surname Sowter, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sowter bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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 Sowter surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2%
- Hispanic or Latino4.8%
- Unknown or suppressed1.0%
FAQ
Sowter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sowter?
Name Census estimates that about 137 living Americans carry the surname Sowter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,501,856 residents.
How common is Sowter?
Sowter ranks #156,044 in the 2010 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2010 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Sowter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (137), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Sowter.
Has Sowter become more or less common over time?
Sowter appears here with 2010 Census data. When additional surname-file years are available for this name, Name Census uses them to show longer-term movement in rank and bearer count.
What does the Census say about the background of Sowter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sowter, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%). These figures come from the 2010 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 Sowter in the 2010 Census, accounting for 94.2%.
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sowter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2010 file are White (94.2%), Hispanic (4.8%).
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Not necessarily. Sowter appears here with 2010 Census data, while the latest surname file loaded on Name Census is 2020. When a surname drops below the Census publication threshold, older rows can still be kept for historical reference even if the name no longer appears in the newest file.
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 Sowter mean?
A surname likely derived from the occupational term "souter" referring to a shoemaker. 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 2010 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 Sowter (0.04 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 Sowter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.