2000
#3,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,633
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.57
Uncommon Last name
Soares
A Portuguese occupational surname referring to a person who made or repaired shoes, derived from the word "soar".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,700 Americans carry the last name Soares. That puts it at #2,948 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,019 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Soares 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Soares with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 25,019
Census rank
#2,948
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,947 bearers of the surname Soares in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2948th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Soares, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.5%) and Hispanic (7.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Soares
The surname SOARES originated in Portugal during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "soarus," meaning "hawk" or "falcon." This name was likely given to someone who worked as a falconer or hunter of birds of prey.
The earliest recorded instances of the SOARES surname can be found in Portuguese historical documents dating back to the 12th century. One notable example is a reference to a nobleman named Soeiro Soares, who lived in the region of Galicia in the late 12th century.
During the Age of Discovery, many Portuguese explorers and settlers bearing the SOARES surname helped establish colonies in various parts of the world, including Brazil, Africa, and Asia. This contributed to the widespread distribution of the name across multiple continents.
One famous individual with the SOARES surname was Tomé Soares, a Portuguese navigator and explorer who lived from around 1470 to 1539. He was a prominent figure in the early voyages of discovery and played a significant role in establishing Portuguese trade routes to India and the Far East.
Another notable SOARES was Luís de Sousa Soares, a 17th-century Portuguese nobleman and military leader. He served as the Governor of Brazil from 1618 to 1622 and played a crucial role in defending the Portuguese colony against the Dutch during the latter part of the Iberian Union.
In the realm of literature, Joaquim Soares de Passos (1826-1890) was a renowned Portuguese poet and playwright. He was a prominent figure in the Romantic movement and made significant contributions to Portuguese literature with his works, such as "O Galego" and "O Velho da Horta."
Moving into the 20th century, Mário Soares (1924-2017) was a prominent Portuguese politician and statesman. He served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1976 to 1978 and later as the President of Portugal from 1986 to 1996. Soares played a crucial role in the transition to democracy after the Carnation Revolution in 1974.
Throughout history, the SOARES surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including explorers, military leaders, writers, and politicians. Its enduring presence across multiple regions is a testament to the far-reaching influence of Portuguese culture and exploration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Soares
Among Census respondents with the surname Soares, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.5%) and Hispanic (7.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Soares 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 Soares surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.3% · 8,641
- Black or African American9.5% · 1,135
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 902
- Two or more races5.7% · 676
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.7% · 557
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Soares
Soares 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
#3,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,694
+2,061 bearers (+21.4%)
Per 100,000 3.96
Rank movement Up 334 places
2020
#2,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,947
+253 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 4.00
Rank movement Up 121 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,403 | 9,633 | 3.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,069 | 11,694 | 3.96 | +2,061 bearers (+21.4%) | Up 334 places |
| 2020 | #2,948 | 11,947 | 4.00 | +253 bearers (+2.2%) | Up 121 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 Soares 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 | #3,069 | #2,948 | 3.9% |
| Count | 11,694 | 11,947 | 2.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.96 | 4.00 | 0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Soares bearers went from 11,694 to 11,947 (+2.2% change). The surname moved up 121 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,069 to #2,948.
FAQ
Soares surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Soares?
Name Census estimates that about 13,700 living Americans carry the surname Soares. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,019 residents.
How common is Soares?
Soares ranks #2,948 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,947 people with the surname Soares. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,700), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Soares.
Has Soares become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Soares went from 11,694 recorded bearers to 11,947. That is an increase of 253 (+2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,069 to #2,948.
What does the Census say about the background of Soares?
Among Census respondents with the surname Soares, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.5%) and Hispanic (7.6%). 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 Soares in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.3% (8,641 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Soares appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.3%), Black (9.5%), Hispanic (7.6%). 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 Soares (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 Soares mean?
A Portuguese occupational surname referring to a person who made or repaired shoes, derived from the word "soar". 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 Soares (4.00 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 common is the surname Soares?
See how common the surname Soares is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.