2000
#58,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 321
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Sharpsteen
A surname deriving from dwellers near a steep slope or cliff.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 362 Americans carry the last name Sharpsteen. That puts it at #67,362 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 946,835 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sharpsteen 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
362
1 in 946,835
Census rank
#67,362
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
316
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 316 bearers of the surname Sharpsteen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 67362nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sharpsteen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sharpsteen
The surname Sharpsteen is of Dutch origin, with its earliest known roots tracing back to the 17th century in the Netherlands. The name is believed to have derived from the Dutch words "scherp" meaning sharp or pointed, and "steen" meaning stone, potentially referring to an occupation or place associated with the sharpening of stones or the presence of sharp stones.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Sharpsteen surname can be found in the Dutch Reformed Church records of New Amsterdam (modern-day New York City) in the late 1600s. This suggests that the name was likely carried over to the New World by Dutch settlers during the colonial era.
In the United Kingdom, variations of the name such as Sharpston and Sharpstone appear in historical records dating back to the 16th century, potentially indicating a shared linguistic origin with the Dutch version of the name.
Notable individuals bearing the Sharpsteen surname include Johannes Sharpsteen (1637-1714), one of the earliest recorded members of the family in the New World, who settled in what is now Brooklyn, New York. Another prominent figure was Reverend Samuel Sharpsteen (1761-1845), an American Presbyterian minister and educator who served as the principal of the Latin School in Philadelphia.
John Sharpsteen (1820-1892) was a respected farmer and landowner in Oneida County, New York, while William Sharpsteen (1874-1949) was a successful businessman and philanthropist in Los Angeles, California, known for his contributions to the city's cultural institutions.
Lastly, Robert Sharpsteen (1912-1992) was an American animator and film director who worked for Walt Disney Studios, contributing to classic animated films such as Pinocchio and Bambi.
While the Sharpsteen surname may have evolved over time and spread across different regions, its Dutch origins and potential occupational or geographical associations have remained a consistent theme throughout its documented history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sharpsteen
Among Census respondents with the surname Sharpsteen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sharpsteen 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 Sharpsteen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 290
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 14
- Two or more races2.5% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 2
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sharpsteen
Sharpsteen 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
#59,470
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 340
+19 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 471 places
2020
#67,362
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 316
-24 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 7,892 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #58,999 | 321 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #59,470 | 340 | 0.12 | +19 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 471 places |
| 2020 | #67,362 | 316 | 0.11 | -24 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 7,892 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 Sharpsteen 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 | #59,470 | #67,362 | -13.3% |
| Count | 340 | 316 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.11 | -11.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sharpsteen bearers went from 340 to 316 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 7,892 positions in the national ranking, going from #59,470 to #67,362.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sharpsteen
FAQ
Sharpsteen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sharpsteen?
Name Census estimates that about 362 living Americans carry the surname Sharpsteen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 946,835 residents.
How common is Sharpsteen?
Sharpsteen ranks #67,362 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 316 people with the surname Sharpsteen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (362), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Sharpsteen.
Has Sharpsteen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sharpsteen went from 340 recorded bearers to 316. That is a decrease of 24 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #59,470 to #67,362.
What does the Census say about the background of Sharpsteen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sharpsteen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Sharpsteen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (290 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sharpsteen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Sharpsteen (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 Sharpsteen mean?
A surname deriving from dwellers near a steep slope or cliff. 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 Sharpsteen (0.11 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 are called Sharpsteen?
Find out how many people have the surname Sharpsteen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.