The Spanish surname Soto is an habitational name derived  from any of numerous places named Soto or El Soto throughout Spain. The name Soto is derived from the Spanish word soto  meaning “ a grove or a small wood  (Latin saltus). “ The name Soto may also be a Castilianized spelling of Asturian-Leonese Sotu, a habitational name from a town so named in Asturias.  A notable bearer of the name was Pedro Blanco Soto President of Bolivia in the early 19th Century.