Explore the Family Name Soter
The meaning of Soter
1. American shortened (and altered) form of Greek patronymics such as Soteriades, Soteriou, Soteropoulos, Sotiriou, and Sotiropoulos, derived from the personal name Sōtērios, modern pronunciation Sotiri(o)s, an adjectival form meaning ‘redeeming, saving’, based on the vocabulary word sōtēr ‘savior, redeemer’, and referring to Christ (compare Italian Salvatore). Compare also Sotir. 2. Hungarian (Sótér): perhaps a metonymic occupational name for a cheesemaker, from Middle High German schotte ‘cheese’, or an occupational name for a maker of wooden plates and troughs, from Middle High German schotteler, or for a peddler, from Middle High German schotte (see Schott). 3. German: variant of Sotter, a topographic name from Middle High German sōt ‘spring, well’. 4. Slovak (Šótér): from a Slavicized form of Hungarian Sótér (see 2 above).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Soter in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Soter has seen a slight decline in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Soter was ranked 37,640 in terms of popularity, with a count of 556 individuals bearing this surname. By 2010, it slipped to the 39,717th rank, with a count of 553. This represents a change of -5.52% in rank and -0.54% in count over the decade. The proportion of people named Soter per 100,000 also dipped by 9.52%, from 0.21 in 2000 to 0.19 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #37,640 | #39,717 | -5.52% |
| Count | 556 | 553 | -0.54% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.21 | 0.19 | -9.52% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Soter
On the ethnicity front, data from the Decennial U.S. Census indicates that the Soter surname is predominantly associated with White ethnic identity. In both 2000 and 2010, over 94% of individuals with the Soter surname were White, with a minor increase of 0.36% over the decade. There was no significant change in the percentage of Asian/Pacific Islander individuals with this surname. However, the number of individuals identifying as two or more ethnicities dropped by 17.68%. There was a slight decrease in the Hispanic representation as well, with a change of -10.49%. It's worth noting that there were no individuals identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native under this surname for both years.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 94.96% | 95.3% | 0.36% |
| Two or More Races | 1.98% | 1.63% | -17.68% |
| Hispanic | 1.62% | 1.45% | -10.49% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |