2000
#7,237
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,251
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.58
Rare Last name
Firestone
An occupational surname referring to someone who manufactured or worked with flint or other types of stone.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,544 Americans carry the last name Firestone. That puts it at #8,021 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,430 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Firestone surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 75,430
Census rank
#8,021
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,963 bearers of the surname Firestone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8021st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Firestone, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Firestone
The surname Firestone has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the 13th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English words "fyr" meaning fire and "stan" meaning stone, likely referring to someone who worked as a maker or seller of hearthstones or firestones used for lighting fires.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which lists a Richard Fireston. The surname also appears in various tax records and parish registers throughout the 14th and 15th centuries, with spellings such as Fyreston, Firestane, and Firston.
During the medieval period, the Firestone family was primarily concentrated in the counties of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk in East Anglia. The name is associated with several place names in these regions, such as Firestone End in Oxfordshire and Firestone Hill in Gloucestershire.
Notable individuals with the surname Firestone include William Firestone (c. 1370-1440), a landowner and yeoman from Norfolk, and John Firestone (1542-1612), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the city of Norwich.
In the 17th century, the Firestone family expanded its presence throughout England, with branches established in London, Yorkshire, and the West Midlands. One prominent figure from this era was Sir Thomas Firestone (1615-1678), a Member of Parliament and supporter of the Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War.
As the name spread across Britain, it also found its way to the American colonies in the 18th century. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America is Benjamin Firestone (1723-1798), who emigrated from England to Pennsylvania in the 1740s and became a prosperous farmer and miller.
Other notable individuals with the Firestone surname include Harvey Firestone (1868-1938), the founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, and Clark Firestone (1887-1957), a prominent American businessman and diplomat who served as Ambassador to Cuba and Mexico.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Firestone
Among Census respondents with the surname Firestone, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Firestone bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Firestone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 3,655
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 120
- Two or more races2.9% · 114
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 40
- Black or African American0.5% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Firestone
Firestone appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#7,434
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,480
+229 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 197 places
2020
#8,021
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,963
-517 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 587 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,237 | 4,251 | 1.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,434 | 4,480 | 1.52 | +229 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 197 places |
| 2020 | #8,021 | 3,963 | 1.33 | -517 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 587 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Firestone surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #7,434 | #8,021 | -7.9% |
| Count | 4,480 | 3,963 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 1.33 | -12.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Firestone bearers went from 4,480 to 3,963 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 587 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,434 to #8,021.
FAQ
Firestone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Firestone?
Name Census estimates that about 4,544 living Americans carry the surname Firestone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,430 residents.
How common is Firestone?
Firestone ranks #8,021 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,963 people with the surname Firestone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,544), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Firestone.
Has Firestone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Firestone went from 4,480 recorded bearers to 3,963. That is a decrease of 517 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,434 to #8,021.
What does the Census say about the background of Firestone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Firestone, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Firestone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (3,655 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Firestone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Firestone (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Firestone mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who manufactured or worked with flint or other types of stone. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Firestone (1.33 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Firestone?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Firestone on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.