2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Suo
A Finnish surname meaning "swamp" or "marsh".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 369 Americans carry the last name Suo. That puts it at #66,338 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 928,874 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Suo 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
369
1 in 928,874
Census rank
#66,338
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
322
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 322 bearers of the surname Suo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 66338th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Suo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.3%. The next largest groups are White (17.1%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Suo
The surname "Suo" originated in Finland during the 17th century. It is derived from the Finnish word "suo," which means "swamp" or "marsh." The name likely referred to a person who lived near or worked in a swampy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Suo" can be found in the church records of the Parish of Rautjärvi, located in what is now southeastern Finland. These records date back to the late 1600s and mention several families with the surname "Suo."
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the name "Suo" became more widespread throughout Finland, particularly in the regions of Karelia and Savonia. It is believed that the name may have originated in these areas, where swampy terrain was common.
In the early 20th century, several notable individuals with the surname "Suo" emerged. One such person was Juho Kusti Suo (1887-1936), a Finnish politician and member of the Finnish Parliament (Eduskunta) from 1917 to 1936.
Another prominent figure with the surname "Suo" was Martti Suo (1911-1997), a Finnish writer and poet. He is best known for his works depicting life in rural Finland, including the novels "Rannaton meri" (Shoreless Sea) and "Kosken kertomaa" (Tales of the Rapids).
In the field of sports, Matti Suo (1919-1992) was a Finnish long-distance runner who competed in the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympics. He won a silver medal in the 10,000-meter event at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.
Veikko Suo (1916-1991) was a Finnish actor and film director who directed several popular Finnish films in the 1950s and 1960s, including "Niskavuori" (1957) and "Punainen viiva" (The Red Line, 1959).
Lastly, Jari Suo (born 1959) is a contemporary Finnish film director and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the critically acclaimed films "Zombie ja Kummitusjuna" (Zombie and the Ghost Train, 1991) and "Tali-Ihantala 1944" (Tali-Ihantala 1944, 2007).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Suo
Among Census respondents with the surname Suo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.3%. The next largest groups are White (17.1%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Suo 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 Suo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander78.3% · 252
- White17.1% · 55
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 8
- Two or more races1.2% · 4
- Black or African American0.6% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Suo
Suo 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
#84,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 222
+93 bearers (+72.1%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 38,851 places
2020
#66,338
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 322
+100 bearers (+45.0%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 18,125 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #84,463 | 222 | 0.08 | +93 bearers (+72.1%) | Up 38,851 places |
| 2020 | #66,338 | 322 | 0.11 | +100 bearers (+45.0%) | Up 18,125 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 Suo 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 | #84,463 | #66,338 | 21.5% |
| Count | 222 | 322 | 45.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.11 | 34.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Suo bearers went from 222 to 322 (+45.0% change). The surname moved up 18,125 positions in the national ranking, going from #84,463 to #66,338.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Suo
FAQ
Suo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Suo?
Name Census estimates that about 369 living Americans carry the surname Suo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 928,874 residents.
How common is Suo?
Suo ranks #66,338 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 322 people with the surname Suo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (369), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Suo.
Has Suo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Suo went from 222 recorded bearers to 322. That is an increase of 100 (+45.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #84,463 to #66,338.
What does the Census say about the background of Suo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Suo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.3%. The next largest groups are White (17.1%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Suo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.3% (252 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Suo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (78.3%), White (17.1%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Suo (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 Suo mean?
A Finnish surname meaning "swamp" or "marsh". 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 Suo (0.11 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 last name Suo?
You can see how many people are called Suo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.