Explore the Family Name Soni

The meaning of Soni

Indian (Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat): Khatri, Bania, Vania, and Sikh name meaning ‘goldsmith’ in the languages of the region, derived from son- ‘gold’, from Sanskrit svarṇa. Banias and also the Punjabi Khatris have clans called Soni. Some characteristic forenames: Indian Ashok, Bharat, Ajay, Mukesh, Ramesh, Amrit, Dilip, Vijay, Deepak, Girish, Manish, Nalin.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Soni in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Soni has seen a significant increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 14,755 with 1,846 individuals bearing the name. By 2010, the rank had improved to 9,466 with a notable 35.85% change. The number of people carrying the surname nearly doubled to 3,437, marking an impressive growth of 86.19%. Consequently, the proportion per 100k population also increased by 72.06%, indicating the growing prevalence of this surname in the United States.

20002010Change
Rank#14,755#9,46635.85%
Count1,8463,43786.19%
Proportion per 100k0.681.1772.06%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Soni

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Soni also saw some shifts between 2000 and 2010 according to the same Decennial U.S. Census data. A predominant majority of individuals with this surname identify as Asian/Pacific Islander, increasing from 82.83% in 2000 to 89.23% in 2010. However, the percentage of those identifying as two or more races declined significantly by 68.19%. Similarly, a slight decrease was observed in the white ethnicity from 5.15% to 3.55%. The Hispanic representation remained relatively stable, seeing a small increase from 3.41% to 3.46%. There was no change for Blacks, while the American Indian and Alaskan Native representation experienced a surge of 48.84%, albeit from a very small base.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander82.83%89.23%7.73%
White5.15%3.55%-31.07%
Hispanic3.41%3.46%1.47%
Two or More Races7.42%2.36%-68.19%
Black0.76%0.76%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.43%0.64%48.84%