2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Suomela
A locative Finnish surname for someone from a place called Suomela.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Suomela. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Suomela 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Suomela in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Suomela, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Suomela
The surname Suomela has its origins in Finland, a Nordic country located in Northern Europe. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, between the 5th and 15th centuries. The name Suomela is derived from the Finnish words "suo" meaning marsh or swamp, and "mela" meaning paddle or oar, suggesting a connection to areas near marshy or swampy regions where paddling was a common means of transportation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Suomela can be found in the Hämeenlinna Cathedral records from the late 16th century, where a farmer named Matti Suomela is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use among the rural population of Finland during that time period.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Suomela was Jaakko Suomela, a Lutheran clergyman who served as the vicar of Renko parish in southwestern Finland from 1640 to 1665. His legacy includes the construction of a new church building in the parish during his tenure.
The 18th century saw the birth of Pekka Suomela (1728-1802), a prominent farmer and landowner from the Ostrobothnia region of western Finland. His descendants continued to use the Suomela surname, contributing to its spread across the region.
In the 19th century, Juho Suomela (1835-1912) gained recognition as a Finnish journalist and politician. He was a member of the Diet of Finland, which was the legislative assembly of the Grand Duchy of Finland at that time. Juho Suomela played a significant role in advocating for the rights of the Finnish-speaking population.
Another notable figure with the surname Suomela was Elias Suomela (1891-1963), a Finnish athlete who competed in the discus throw and shot put events at the 1912 and 1920 Summer Olympics. He won a silver medal in the discus throw at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics.
While the surname Suomela is predominantly found in Finland, it has also been carried by individuals who have emigrated to other countries, such as the United States and Canada, particularly during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when Finnish immigration to North America was at its peak.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Suomela
Among Census respondents with the surname Suomela, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Suomela 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 Suomela surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.2% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Suomela
Suomela 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+4 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,533 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,693 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 5,533 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 1,693 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 Suomela 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 | #152,628 | #150,935 | 1.1% |
| Count | 107 | 108 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Suomela bearers went from 107 to 108 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 1,693 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #150,935.
FAQ
Suomela surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Suomela?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Suomela. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Suomela?
Suomela ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Suomela. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Suomela.
Has Suomela become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Suomela went from 107 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Suomela?
Among Census respondents with the surname Suomela, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Suomela in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.2% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Suomela appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.2%), Hispanic (0.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Suomela (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 Suomela mean?
A locative Finnish surname for someone from a place called Suomela. 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 Suomela (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 Suomela?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.