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Home › Baby Names Directory › Sotero

Sotero

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Sotero

Pronounced so-TEH-ro /soˈtɛ.ɾo/Medium

Meaning: Sotero comes through Spanish from the Latin Soterus and ultimately the Greek Soter, meaning savior or deliverer. It honors an early Christian pope and martyr, Saint Soterus, and passed into Spanish Catholic families as a devotional given name.Medium

In 30 seconds: Sotero is a Spanish Catholic name from the Greek Soter, savior. It honors an early pope and martyr and was quietly borne by Latino men through the early twentieth century.
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Origin MediumSpanish, Greek
MeaningSotero comes through Spanish from the Latin Soterus and ultimately the Greek Soter, meaning savior or deliverer. It honors an early Christian pope and martyr, Saint Soterus, and passed into Spanish Catholic families as a devotional given name.
U.S. rank (2019)#13854 ↗ Rising
2019 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1947
Total births (all-time)≈ 786

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 197119122019

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Sotero traces to the Greek soter, savior, by way of the Latin Soterus. Its chief anchor is Saint Soterus, a second-century pope and martyr, and Spanish Catholic families carried the name across generations as an act of devotion. It reached the United States mainly through Mexican and other Latino communities.

Sotero was never common in America, given to fewer than two dozen boys a year even at its faint peak around the late nineteen-forties, though its long thin presence stretched across most of the twentieth century. A man named Sotero from its peak would be in his seventies today.

Did you know? The root of Sotero, the Greek word soter, is the same term early Christians used for savior, which is why it became a saint's name and then a heritage given name in Spanish-speaking homes.
Overall data confidence 70%
References - Sotero — Greek soter savior; Saint Soterus; Spanish Catholic use

Variations

SoteraSoteriusSoterus

Nicknames

TeroSote

Famous Bearers

  • ★Pope Saint Soterus (died c. 174)
    early Christian pope and martyr whose name gave rise to the Spanish given name

If you like Sotero…

Eleuterio— a like Spanish saint's name from Greek
Fidencio— a similar devotional Latino name
Higinio— a fellow Greek-rooted Spanish saint name
Omero— a fellow Spanish choice
Navarro— shares Sotero's Spanish roots

Explore names like Sotero

By themevintageheritagereligioushispanic

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Sotero mean?

It means savior or deliverer, from the Greek soter, and honors an early pope and martyr, Saint Soterus.

How do you pronounce Sotero?

It is said so-TEH-ro /soˈtɛ.ɾo/, three syllables with the stress in the middle.

Is Sotero a boy or girl name?

Sotero is used as a boy's name; the feminine form is Sotera.

How popular is Sotero?

It has always been rare in the United States, given to only a couple dozen boys a year at its peak in the late nineteen-forties.

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