Soulé

Soulé is a surname of French origin that appears in France and in communities shaped by French influence in the Americas, such as Haiti and Louisiana. Spelling variants include Soulé (with the acute accent) and Soule (without the accent); another related surname is Soulié. In some cases, the name is toponymic, tracing to the historic Basque region of Soule in the western Pyrenees.

Soule, also written Soule in English, refers to the Basque province of Soule (Basque: Zuberoa). It lies in the western Pyrenees and is part of the modern French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. The traditional capital is Mauléon-Licharre. The region is recognized for its Basque cultural heritage, including language and traditional festivals, and it has historically been one of the three Basque provinces alongside Labourd and Lower Navarre.

In contemporary usage, the accent on the e is sometimes omitted in non-French contexts, so Soulé may be encountered as a personal surname or as a geographic name without the diacritic. The name's appearance in records and genealogies reflects patterns of migration and regional identity connected to both French and Basque history.