Soares History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Early Origins of the Soares family
The surname Soares was first found in Dorset where John and Roger de Sor were listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1195. 1
The name could have also been a nickname as in " 'the sor,' the sore, the susceptible to wounded feelings, the sensitive. But much more probably one of the endless nicknames from the complexion of the hair, from Old French sor, the diminutive of which was Sorel, a reddish-brown, hence a favourite name for a horse. " 2
After the first listing in Dorset, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed Elena la Sore in Somerset 2 and Kirby's Quest noted: "Matheu le Sore, Close Rolls, 26 Edward III; Philip le Soor, Somerset, 1 Edward III; and Roger le Sor, Somerset, 1 Edward III. " 3 All three entries were "1 Edward III" or in other words, "in the first year of King Edward III's reign."
One source notes that the name was a "location name in Lincolnshire," 4 but we can find no such listing. And another source notes that it was "a river in Leicestershire," 5 but again, we can find no such river.
Variants of the name are somewhat universal in that they can be found in France, Portugal and Romania. The Soare variant is a fairly popular Romanian name and Soares is often of Portuguese descent. And, Raoul II (died 1282), called Sores or d'Estrée, was the marshal of France briefly in 1270. Accordingly, each of these names would have a different origin.
Early History of the Soares family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Soares research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1327, 1555, 1570 and 1605 are included under the topic Early Soares History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Soares Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Sor, Soar, Soares, Soor, Soors, Soars, Sore and many more.
Early Notables of the Soares family
Distinguished members of the family include John le Soor, who held lands in Suffolk and was listed in the Subsidy Rolls there in 1327. 1
Jacques de Sores was a French pirate who attacked and...
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Soares Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Soares Ranking
In the United States, the name Soares is the 3,457th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 6 However, in France, the name Soares is ranked the 1,135th most popular surname with an estimated 4,831 people with that name. 7
Soares migration to West Indies +
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association.
8Soares Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century
- Joseph Soares, who landed in Jamaica in 1741 9
- Leah Soares, who landed in Jamaica in 1741 9
Contemporary Notables of the name Soares (post 1700) +
- O. P. Soares, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Hawaii Territory, 1948 10
- Alana Soares, American model and actress
- João Clemente Baena Soares (1931-2023), Brazilian diplomat
- João Clemente Baena Soares (1931-2023), Brazilian diplomat, Secretary General of Foreign Affairs of Brazil
- Elza Soares (1930-2022), Brazilian samba singer, born Elza da Conceição Soares, named Singer of the Millennium along with Tina Turner by BBC Radio in 1999
- Mário Alberto Nobre Lopes Soares (1924-2017), Portuguese politician, Prime Minister of Portugal (1976-1978), (1983-1985), (1986-1996)
- P David Soares (b. 1969), American lawyer and politician, Albany County District Attorney
- Amaro Soares Bittencourt (1885-1963), Brazilian Major General, diplomat, military and civil engineer, first recipient of the United States Legion of Merit (October, 1942)
- Ronaldo Soares Giovanelli (b. 1967), Brazilian football goalkeeper
- Sebastiao Soares de Resende (1906-1967), Portuguese Bishop
Citations +
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
- Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
- 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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html