Soto History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Spain

The original bearer of the name Soto, 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 Soto 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 Soto family

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

Early History of the Soto family

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

Soto 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 Soto family

Prominent among members of the family

Domingo de Soto, 16th century Spanish theologian and professor at the University of Salamanca
17th century Spanish actress Catalina Sotomayor
19th century Honduran politician Marco Aurelio Soto
19th century Spanish military officer Raimundo María Soto
19th century Chilean writer and historian Ramón Sotomayor Valdés
19th century Spanish writer Serafín Soto
19th century pirate Benito Soto Aboal, whose brief career ended when he was hanged in Gibraltar in 1830

Soto World Ranking

In the United States, the name Soto is the 268^th most popular surname with an estimated 99,480 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Soto is ranked the 4,068^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 2 And in South America, the name Soto is the 83^rd popular surname with an estimated 56 people with that name. 3

Soto migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Soto Settlers in United States in the 16th Century

Antonio de Soto, who sailed to America in 1513
Hernando de Soto, who voyaged to Central America with Pedrarias Dávila in 1514. He explored present-day Panama, Nicaragua and Honduras during the 1520s. Later he journeyed to Peru with Pizarro, returning to Spain in 1535. He set out again in 1538, this time for Cuba, where he was named Governor of the island. From Cuba he traveled to Florida, exploring inland to the north and west. Hernando de Soto was the first European to see the Mississippi River. He died of a fever in 1541, the Mississippi River served as his final resting place
Sebastián de Soto, who sailed to America in 1515
Pedro de Soto, who sailed to Peru in 1534
Diego de Soto, who sailed to Florida in 1538
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Soto Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Antonio De Soto, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1802 4
Jose De Soto, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1803 4
Rodrigo De Soto, who landed in America in 1810 4
Maria De Soto, who landed in America in 1812 4
Melchor De Soto, who arrived in San Juan Island in 1812 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Soto (post 1700) +

Hernando de Soto (1866-1928), American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Warsaw, 1902-03; U.S. Consul in Warsaw, 1907-08, 1914-17; Riga, 1908-10; Palermo, 1910-14; Leipzig, 1921-26 5
Talisa Soto (b. 1967), American model and actress
Steve Soto (b. 1963), American musician
Jeff Scott Soto (b. 1965), American rock singer
Gary Soto (b. 1952), American poet, writer and educator
John R. Soto, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Massachusetts 4th District, 1990 6
John Soto, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Colorado, 1980 6
Gloria Soto, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 1988 6
Frank Soto, American politician, Village President of Bensenville, Illinois; Elected 2009 6
Cynthia Soto, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 2004, 2008 6
... (Another 20 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"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/
"List of most common surnames in South America." Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames_in_South_America
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 2017, April 12) Hernando Soto. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html