Show ContentsSotomayor History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The original bearer of the name Sotomayor, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful region of Spain. In Spain, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. The Sotomayor family originally lived in one of the numerous towns or villages named Soto. The place-name Soto is derived from the Spanish word "soto," which refers to a "thicket" or "grove." This word is itself derived from the Latin word "saltus," which refers to a pasture land containing a forest or wood.

Early Origins of the Sotomayor family

The surname Sotomayor was first found in Castile, in north central Spain.

Early History of the Sotomayor family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sotomayor research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1227 and 1830 are included under the topic Early Sotomayor History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sotomayor Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Soto, de Soto, Desoto, Sota, de Sota, de la Sota, Desota, Sotela, Sotelo, de Sotelo, Sotera, Sotero, Sotillo and many more.

Early Notables of the Sotomayor family

Prominent among members of the family

  • 17th century Spanish actress Catalina Sotomayor
  • 19th century Chilean writer and historian Ramón Sotomayor Valdés

Sotomayor Ranking

In the United States, the name Sotomayor is the 10,159th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Sotomayor migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sotomayor Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Francisco De Sotomayor, who landed in America in 1811 2
  • Gutierre De Sotomayor, who landed in America in 1811 2
  • Alonso De Sotomayor, who arrived in America in 1835 2
  • Pedro De Sotomayor, who landed in Florida in 1838 2
  • Rafael De Sotomayor, who arrived in New Spain in 1855 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Sotomayor (post 1700) +

  • Chris Sotomayor, American colorist in the comic book industry, known for his work with Marvel
  • Sonia Sotomayor (b. 1954), U.S. Supreme Court justice
  • Fernando Álvarez de Sotomayor y Zaragoza (1875-1960), Spanish painter
  • Liesel Holler Sotomayor, Peruvian model and beauty pageant holder, Miss Peru 2004
  • Víctor Sotomayor (b. 1968), retired Argentine football player
  • Carlos Sotomayor (1911-1988), Chilean painter, one of the principal exponents of the cubism from South America
  • Federico Sotomayor y Vigil, Peruvian military officer


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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