Meeli Sööt was born Meeli Alev in Tallinn to actor Voldemar Alev and Alvine Alev (née Väravas). In 1956, she graduated from Tallinn 7th Secondary School (now, Tallinn English College).
Sööt ranks 274th for men and 266th for women in terms of prevalence of surnames in the country. Sööt is most commonly found in Tartu County, where 9.06 per 10,000 inhabitants bear the name. [1 ]