Stancil
A diminutive masculine name of English origin meaning "dweller at the stone boundary".
Name Census estimates that about 32 living Americans carry the first name Stancil. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Stancil today is around 76 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Stancil births was 1941 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Stancil. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Stancil is about 76 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Stancils were born before 1960.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Stancil. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
32
~ 1 in 10,711,073 Americans
Peak year
1941
9 babies that year
Average age
76
years old
1979 SSA rank
#6,945
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Stancil: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Stancil from the 1920s through to the 1970s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 26 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Stancil by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Stancil during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Stancil
The name Stancil is believed to have originated from the Old English language, possibly derived from a combination of "stan" meaning stone and "cil" meaning shelter or dwelling. It is thought to have been a surname initially, referring to someone who lived near a stone house or structure.
During the Middle Ages, the name Stancil was found scattered across various regions of England, particularly in the southern and eastern counties. It is mentioned in some medieval records and documents, though its usage was relatively rare compared to more common names of the time.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Stancil dates back to the late 13th century, appearing in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279. These were administrative records that documented the names of landowners and tenants across various English counties.
One notable individual with the name Stancil was Sir Stancil de Montfort, a minor nobleman and knight who fought alongside Simon de Montfort during the Second Barons' War in the 13th century. He was born around 1240 and died in the Battle of Evesham in 1265.
Another historical figure was John Stancil, a merchant and alderman in the city of London during the 15th century. He was born around 1420 and served as an elected official in the city's governance, representing the interests of the merchant class.
In the 16th century, there was a record of a Thomas Stancil, a yeoman farmer from Gloucestershire who was involved in a land dispute with a neighboring landowner. This case was documented in the Court of Star Chamber records from 1535.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a soldier named William Stancil served in the Parliamentary forces under Oliver Cromwell. He fought in several battles, including the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644, where he was reportedly wounded.
Another historical figure was Robert Stancil, a minister and theologian who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was born in 1670 and served as a clergyman in the Church of England, publishing several religious texts and sermons during his lifetime.
While the name Stancil was never widely popular, it has persisted throughout history, primarily in England and parts of the United States, where it was brought by early English settlers. However, its usage has remained relatively uncommon compared to other names of English origin.
People
Stancil + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Stancil as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Stancil: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Stancil?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 32 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Stancil going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 10,711,073 US residents.
Is Stancil a common name?
We classify Stancil as "Very Rare". It ranks above 47.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 90 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Stancil most popular?
The single biggest year for Stancil was 1941, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Stancil is about 76 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Stancil in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Stancil a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Stancil in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Stancil still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Stancil in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Stancil can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Stancil?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.