2000
#1,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,461
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.84
Uncommon Last name
Stacy
A surname of unknown origin, possibly derived from the Old English given name Stace or a shortened form of Eustace.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,549 Americans carry the last name Stacy. That puts it at #1,968 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,680 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stacy 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 Stacy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,680
Census rank
#1,968
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,920 bearers of the surname Stacy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1968th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stacy, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stacy
The surname Stacy originated in England, derived from the Old English word "stæce," which meant a stake or post. It likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent stake or boundary marker. The earliest recorded spelling of the name dates back to the 12th century in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire, where it appears as "Staci."
The name was widespread in various parts of England, including Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and Gloucestershire. It also appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conquer. The Domesday Book mentions a landowner named "Staci" in Gloucestershire.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Stacy was William Stacy, who was born around 1246 in Warwickshire. He served as a knight and was involved in the Barons' War against King Henry III in the 13th century. Another notable figure was Sir John Stacy, born in 1420 in Gloucestershire, who was a member of parliament during the Wars of the Roses.
In the 16th century, the surname Stacy was associated with various place names, such as Stacey's Court in Somerset and Stacey's Farm in Wiltshire. These place names likely derived from individuals with the surname Stacy who owned or lived on those lands.
During the 17th century, the name gained prominence in the American colonies. One of the earliest settlers with the surname Stacy was Reverend Henry Stacy, who was born in 1604 in Gloucestershire and immigrated to New England in the 1630s. He became a prominent minister and landowner in Massachusetts.
Another notable figure was John Stacy, born in 1675 in Gloucestershire, who immigrated to Pennsylvania and became a prominent Quaker leader and landowner. He founded the town of Stacyville, New Jersey, which was named after him.
In the 18th century, Sir Walter Stacy, born in 1732 in Warwickshire, was a renowned British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He played a significant role in several naval battles against the French and Spanish fleets.
Throughout history, the surname Stacy has been associated with various professions, including military service, politics, religion, and landowners. Despite its English origins, the name has spread worldwide and continues to be a prominent surname in many countries today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stacy
Among Census respondents with the surname Stacy, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Stacy 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 Stacy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 15,582
- Black or African American4.4% · 781
- Two or more races4.3% · 772
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 489
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 174
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 122
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stacy
Stacy 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
#1,891
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,010
+549 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 6.44
Rank movement Down 109 places
2020
#1,968
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,920
-1,090 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 6.00
Rank movement Down 77 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,782 | 18,461 | 6.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,891 | 19,010 | 6.44 | +549 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 109 places |
| 2020 | #1,968 | 17,920 | 6.00 | -1,090 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 77 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 Stacy 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 | #1,891 | #1,968 | -4.1% |
| Count | 19,010 | 17,920 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 6.44 | 6.00 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stacy bearers went from 19,010 to 17,920 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 77 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,891 to #1,968.
FAQ
Stacy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stacy?
Name Census estimates that about 20,549 living Americans carry the surname Stacy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,680 residents.
How common is Stacy?
Stacy ranks #1,968 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,920 people with the surname Stacy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,549), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Stacy.
Has Stacy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stacy went from 19,010 recorded bearers to 17,920. That is a decrease of 1,090 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,891 to #1,968.
What does the Census say about the background of Stacy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stacy, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Stacy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (15,582 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stacy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Black (4.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Stacy (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 Stacy mean?
A surname of unknown origin, possibly derived from the Old English given name Stace or a shortened form of Eustace. 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 Stacy (6.00 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 Americans have the surname Stacy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.