2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Soyfer
An occupational surname for someone who salts or preserves meat.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Soyfer. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Soyfer 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Soyfer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Soyfer, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Soyfer
The surname SOYFER is of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, derived from the Yiddish word "soifer" meaning "scribe" or "writer". This name first appeared in Eastern Europe, particularly in areas such as Poland, Ukraine, and Russia, where large Ashkenazi Jewish communities existed.
The earliest known record of the SOYFER surname dates back to the 16th century in the town of Krakow, Poland. In a 1578 census record, a man named Yaakov ben Soyfer (Jacob the son of the scribe) was listed as a resident of the Jewish quarter.
During the Middle Ages, the SOYFER name was often associated with individuals who worked as scribes, copyists, or writers of religious texts. As literacy was highly valued in Jewish communities, those with the SOYFER surname were likely respected members of society.
One notable individual with the SOYFER surname was Rabbi Yehuda Leib Soyfer (1786-1854), a prominent Hasidic rabbi and author from Galicia, Poland. He wrote several influential works on Hasidic teachings and was revered for his wisdom and piety.
Another person of historical significance was Avraham Soyfer (1890-1944), an Austrian-Jewish playwright, novelist, and satirist. His works, which often criticized the rise of Nazism, were banned by the Nazi regime. Tragically, Soyfer was arrested and executed in the Auschwitz concentration camp.
In the 19th century, the SOYFER surname began to spread beyond Eastern Europe as Jewish communities migrated to other parts of the world. One example is Isaac Soyfer (1853-1928), a Russian-born American businessman who founded the Soyfer Manufacturing Company in Chicago, which produced clothing and textiles.
Another notable figure was Sarah Soyfer (1876-1960), a Russian-born American labor activist and journalist. She played a significant role in organizing garment workers and advocating for better working conditions in the early 20th century.
The SOYFER surname has also been found in various spellings and variations, such as Soifer, Soypher, and Soyfer, reflecting the linguistic diversity and migration patterns of Jewish communities over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Soyfer
Among Census respondents with the surname Soyfer, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Soyfer 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 Soyfer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 111
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Soyfer
Soyfer 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+10 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 991 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 991 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 32 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 Soyfer 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 | #147,253 | #147,221 | 0.0% |
| Count | 112 | 113 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Soyfer bearers went from 112 to 113 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #147,221.
FAQ
Soyfer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Soyfer?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Soyfer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Soyfer?
Soyfer ranks #147,221 in the 2020 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 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Soyfer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Soyfer.
Has Soyfer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Soyfer went from 112 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Soyfer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Soyfer, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%) and Two or More Races (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Soyfer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Soyfer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%), Two or More Races (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 Soyfer (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 Soyfer mean?
An occupational surname for someone who salts or preserves meat. 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 Soyfer (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 Soyfer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.