NameCensus.

UK surname

Sollars

A surname derived from French "solier" meaning one who lived on an upper floor.

In the 1881 census there were 94 people recorded with the Sollars surname, ranking it #20,467 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 228, ranked #17,936, up from #20,467 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet, and Yardley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Gloucestershire, Stroud and Tewkesbury.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sollars is 238 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 142.6%.

1881 census count

94

Ranked #20,467

Modern count

228

2016, ranked #17,936

Peak year

2010

238 bearers

Map years

5

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sollars had 94 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,467 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 228 in 2016, ranked #17,936.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 173 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Sollars surname distribution map

The map shows where the Sollars surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Sollars surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sollars over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 24 #29,038
1861 historical 75 #24,238
1881 historical 94 #20,467
1891 historical 98 #24,313
1901 historical 138 #18,955
1911 historical 173 #16,361
1997 modern 229 #16,168
1998 modern 234 #16,404
1999 modern 234 #16,506
2000 modern 218 #17,246
2001 modern 216 #17,103
2002 modern 224 #17,042
2003 modern 219 #17,085
2004 modern 223 #16,965
2005 modern 232 #16,480
2006 modern 235 #16,439
2007 modern 228 #16,984
2008 modern 237 #16,688
2009 modern 234 #17,194
2010 modern 238 #17,323
2011 modern 238 #17,188
2012 modern 235 #17,242
2013 modern 224 #18,080
2014 modern 229 #17,925
2015 modern 229 #17,846
2016 modern 228 #17,936

Geography

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Where Sollars' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet,, Yardley, Newland (Bream, Clearwell, Newland, Coleford), West Dean and Kirton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Gloucestershire, Stroud, Tewkesbury, Bristol and Cheshire West and Chester. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet, Gloucestershire
3 Yardley Warwickshire
4 Newland (Bream, Clearwell, Newland, Coleford), West Dean Monmouthshire
5 Kirton Lincolnshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Gloucestershire 011 South Gloucestershire
2 Stroud 006 Stroud
3 Tewkesbury 005 Tewkesbury
4 Bristol 049 Bristol, City of
5 Cheshire West and Chester 027 Cheshire West and Chester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sollars

These lists show first names that appear often with the Sollars surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sollars

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Sollars, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Sollars surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Sollars household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Sollars is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Sollars is most concentrated in decile 6 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Sollars falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Sollars is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Sollars, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Sollars

The surname Sollars has its origins in the English counties of Somerset and Dorset, dating back to the late 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "sol" meaning muddy and "hyrst" meaning a wooded hill or ridge, referring to someone who lived near a muddy wooded hill or ridge. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was Solers in the Pipe Rolls of Somerset in 1275.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a landed person named Solarius is mentioned, which is thought to be an early form of the surname. This suggests that the name may have been established among the Norman aristocracy before spreading to other parts of England.

The Sollars surname can also be found in various parish records from the 16th and 17th centuries, with spellings such as Sollers, Sollors, and Solers appearing in the records of Somerset, Dorset, and neighboring counties. Notable early bearers of the name include John Solers, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in 1327, and William Sollers, who was recorded in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Dorset in 1524.

In the 18th century, the name appears to have spread beyond the southwest of England, with records showing Sollars families in other parts of the country. One famous bearer of the name was Thomas Sollars (1707-1785), a prominent merchant and landowner in Staffordshire.

Other notable individuals with the Sollars surname include: 1) George Sollars (1811-1879), an English landscape painter known for his depictions of rural scenes. 2) Mary Sollars (1859-1927), an American educator and suffragist who campaigned for women's rights in the state of Oklahoma. 3) Obadiah Sollars (1820-1898), a British inventor credited with developing an early form of the bicycle. 4) Susanna Sollars (1643-1709), one of the first English settlers in the colony of Virginia. 5) William Sollars (1847-1921), a Scottish architect who designed several prominent buildings in Glasgow.

While the Sollars surname has its roots in the southwest of England, it has since spread across the globe, with bearers of the name found in various countries and regions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Sollars families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sollars surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Gloucestershire leads with 73 Sollars' recorded in 1881 and an index of 40.60x.

County Total Index
Gloucestershire 73 40.60x
Herefordshire 8 21.28x
Oxfordshire 4 7.07x
Somerset 3 2.03x
Staffordshire 2 0.65x
Yorkshire 2 0.22x
Radnorshire 1 13.51x
Warwickshire 1 0.43x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Painswick in Gloucestershire leads with 51 Sollars' recorded in 1881 and an index of 4015.75x.

Place Total Index
Painswick 51 4015.75x
Prestbury 7 1555.56x
Bristol Temple 6 508.47x
West Dean 6 205.48x
Oxford St Peter In East 4 1818.18x
Much Marcle 3 1111.11x
Barnsley 2 21.34x
Brampton Abbotts 2 2857.14x
Long Ashton 2 273.97x
Wolverhampton 2 8.41x
Birmingham 1 1.30x
Bristol St Mary Redcliff 1 60.98x
Cheltenham 1 7.21x
Clyro 1 434.78x
Kingstone 1 714.29x
Madley 1 384.62x
Stroud 1 28.57x
Thruxton 1 5000.00x
Walcot 1 12.72x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Sollars surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Sollars surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 10
George 7
Albert 3
James 3
Samuel 3
Thomas 3
Charles 2
Frank 2
Henry 2
Jesse 2
John 2
Richard 2
Aaron 1
Alfred 1
Anne 1
Edwd. 1
Ernest 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Job 1
Luics 1
Rayman 1
Rigby 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Sollars surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sollars surname in 1881?

In 1881, 94 people were recorded with the Sollars surname. That placed it at #20,467 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sollars surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 228 in 2016. That gives Sollars a modern rank of #17,936.

What does the Sollars surname mean?

A surname derived from French "solier" meaning one who lived on an upper floor.

What does the Sollars map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Sollars bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.