Explore the Family Name Soul
The meaning of Soul
1. English and Scottish (of Norman origin): habitational name from Soules near Saint-Lô (Manche, France). 2. French (mainly Manche): variant of Saoul, a nickname from saoul ‘full, satiated; drunk’, figuratively also ‘surfeited with something’. History: The Scottish family of this name traces the name back to Ranulf de Soulis (died before 1170), a Norman knight who came to Scotland with King David I and served as his cupbearer. Sir John Soulis (died before 1310) was appointed ‘guardian of Scotland’ by John Balliol in 1301.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Soul in the United States?
The surname "Soul" was found to be ranked 75,938th in popularity according to the Decennial U.S. Census from the year 2000 and fell slightly to the 77,012th position by the year 2010, marking a reduction of 1.41%. The actual count of individuals with this last name expanded from 236 in 2000 to 249 in 2010, an increase of 5.51%. However, when considering the proportion per 100,000 people, there was an 11.11% decrease from 0.09 to 0.08 over the same period, as per the data from the Decennial U.S. Census.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #75,938 | #77,012 | -1.41% |
| Count | 236 | 249 | 5.51% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.09 | 0.08 | -11.11% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Soul
Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname "Soul", data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that it is most commonly linked to individuals who identify as White, accounting for 82.63% and 75.10% of bearers in 2000 and 2010 respectively, though this percentage did decrease by 9.11%. The second largest group were those identifying as Black, which increased from 12.71% to 14.06% between the two census years. Notably, there was a slight increase in those identifying as Hispanic, from 3.39% to 3.61%, and the surname emerged among those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander in 2010, representing 4.42%. There were no bearers of the Soul surname who identified as American Indian and Alaskan Native or as having two or more races in either census year.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 82.63% | 75.1% | -9.11% |
| Black | 12.71% | 14.06% | 10.62% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 4.42% | 0% |
| Hispanic | 3.39% | 3.61% | 6.49% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |