2000
#1,891
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,418
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.46
Uncommon Last name
Soriano
Derived from the Spanish place name Soria, indicating one's ancestral origin in the province or its capital city.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 30,019 Americans carry the last name Soriano. That puts it at #1,316 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,418 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Soriano 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 Soriano with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
30K
1 in 11,418
Census rank
#1,316
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
26K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 26,178 bearers of the surname Soriano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1316th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Soriano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (21.9%) and White (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Soriano
The surname Soriano originates from Spain and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Latin word "Sorianus," which referred to someone from the town of Soria, located in the northern Spanish province of the same name. The name is believed to have its roots in the Celtiberian language, with "Sor" meaning "water" and referring to the Duero River that flows through the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Soriano name can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval Spanish census document from the 14th century. The name appeared in various forms, including "Soriano," "Soriani," and "Sorianum," indicating its widespread use throughout the region.
During the Spanish Golden Age, several notable individuals bore the Soriano surname. One such figure was Jerónimo Soriano (1590-1657), a Spanish dramatist and playwright known for his works "El valiente Negro en Flandes" and "El mejor amigo el muerto."
Another prominent bearer of the name was Juan Soriano (1597-1670), a Spanish painter and etcher who worked in the Baroque style. His most famous works include "The Immaculate Conception" and "The Adoration of the Magi."
In the 18th century, José Soriano Izquierdo (1729-1789) was a Spanish military engineer and cartographer who contributed significantly to the mapping of the Spanish territories in the Americas.
Moving into the 19th century, Rodrigo Soriano Barroeta-Aldamar (1868-1944) was a Spanish politician and journalist who played a notable role in the Republican movement and advocated for workers' rights.
Lastly, in the 20th century, Juan Soriano (1920-2006) was a renowned Mexican painter and sculptor, known for his vibrant abstract works and his contributions to the Mexican muralism movement.
The Soriano surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Spain, such as Soriano nel Cimino, a town in the province of Viterbo, Italy, which was founded by settlers from the Spanish region of Soria.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Soriano
Among Census respondents with the surname Soriano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (21.9%) and White (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Soriano 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 Soriano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino68.4% · 17,918
- Asian and Pacific Islander21.9% · 5,720
- White7.1% · 1,864
- Two or more races1.7% · 452
- Black or African American0.7% · 178
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 46
Timeline
Historical Census data for Soriano
Soriano 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
#1,361
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,916
+8,498 bearers (+48.8%)
Per 100,000 8.79
Rank movement Up 530 places
2020
#1,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,178
+262 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 8.76
Rank movement Up 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,891 | 17,418 | 6.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,361 | 25,916 | 8.79 | +8,498 bearers (+48.8%) | Up 530 places |
| 2020 | #1,316 | 26,178 | 8.76 | +262 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 45 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 Soriano 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 | #1,361 | #1,316 | 3.3% |
| Count | 25,916 | 26,178 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 8.79 | 8.76 | -0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Soriano bearers went from 25,916 to 26,178 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,361 to #1,316.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Soriano
FAQ
Soriano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Soriano?
Name Census estimates that about 30,019 living Americans carry the surname Soriano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,418 residents.
How common is Soriano?
Soriano ranks #1,316 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 26,178 people with the surname Soriano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (30,019), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Soriano.
Has Soriano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Soriano went from 25,916 recorded bearers to 26,178. That is an increase of 262 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,361 to #1,316.
What does the Census say about the background of Soriano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Soriano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (21.9%) and White (7.1%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Soriano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.4% (17,918 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Soriano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (68.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (21.9%), White (7.1%). 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 Soriano (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 Soriano mean?
Derived from the Spanish place name Soria, indicating one's ancestral origin in the province or its capital city. 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 Soriano (8.76 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 Soriano?
Want to know how many people are called Soriano? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.