2000
#2,810
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,701
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.34
Uncommon Last name
Stack
An occupational surname referring to a person who lives near or works with haystacks or stacks of grain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,726 Americans carry the last name Stack. That puts it at #3,176 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,933 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stack 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Stack with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,933
Census rank
#3,176
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,098 bearers of the surname Stack in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3176th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stack, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stack
The surname STACK is of English origin, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "stac", which means a stack or pile, referring to a person who lived near a prominent stack or pile of something, such as hay or wood.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname STACK can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire and the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, both from the late 12th century. These records include references to individuals with the surnames "de la Stache" and "atte Stake".
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname STACK was William atte Stake, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327. Another early bearer of the name was John del Stak, recorded in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1332.
In the 15th century, the surname STACK appeared in various spellings, such as "Stacke", "Stacey", and "Stacye", reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling during that period. One notable individual from this time was John Stacye, who was born in Somerset around 1450 and served as a member of the English Parliament.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname STACK spread across England, and several notable individuals bore this name. One example is Richard Stack, a merchant and alderman who lived in London in the late 16th century. Another is Thomas Stacke, a prominent landowner and member of the gentry from Northamptonshire, who was born in 1567.
In the 18th century, the surname STACK continued to be prominent in various parts of England. One noteworthy individual was John Stack, a successful businessman and entrepreneur from Bristol, who was born in 1712 and became a prominent figure in the city's trade and commerce.
As the surname STACK spread to other parts of the world, it gained recognition in various fields. One notable bearer of the name was Sir Joseph Stack, an Irish-born British diplomat and military officer who served as the Governor of Bombay from 1799 to 1807. He played a significant role in the British East India Company's expansion in India.
Another prominent individual with the surname STACK was Sir Lee Stack, a British colonial administrator and diplomat who served in various roles in the Middle East in the early 20th century. He was assassinated in 1924 while serving as the Governor of British Somaliland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stack
Among Census respondents with the surname Stack, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Stack 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 Stack surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 10,006
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 425
- Two or more races3.3% · 366
- Black or African American1.2% · 138
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 113
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 50
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stack
Stack 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
#2,996
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,967
+266 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 4.06
Rank movement Down 186 places
2020
#3,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,098
-869 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 3.71
Rank movement Down 180 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,810 | 11,701 | 4.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,996 | 11,967 | 4.06 | +266 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 186 places |
| 2020 | #3,176 | 11,098 | 3.71 | -869 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 180 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 Stack 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 | #2,996 | #3,176 | -6.0% |
| Count | 11,967 | 11,098 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.06 | 3.71 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stack bearers went from 11,967 to 11,098 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 180 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,996 to #3,176.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Stack
FAQ
Stack surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stack?
Name Census estimates that about 12,726 living Americans carry the surname Stack. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,933 residents.
How common is Stack?
Stack ranks #3,176 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,098 people with the surname Stack. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,726), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Stack.
Has Stack become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stack went from 11,967 recorded bearers to 11,098. That is a decrease of 869 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,996 to #3,176.
What does the Census say about the background of Stack?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stack, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Stack in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (10,006 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stack appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Stack (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 Stack mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who lives near or works with haystacks or stacks of grain. 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 Stack (3.71 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 surname Stack?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.