2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Staehlin
A surname indicating an association with iron-working or blacksmiths.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Staehlin. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Staehlin 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Staehlin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Staehlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Staehlin
The surname Staehlin is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "stehelin" or "stelein," meaning a small stem or stalk. It is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century, likely as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a field or was associated with farming or agriculture.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Staehlin can be traced back to the 14th century in various regions of present-day Germany, particularly in areas such as Bavaria and Swabia. Some variations of the spelling include Stählin, Stählen, and Stehlin.
In the 16th century, the name appears in historical records such as parish registers and tax rolls. One notable figure from this period was Johann Rudolf Stehelin (1555-1612), a Swiss theologian and author who wrote several works on religious topics.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Staehlin name was found in various parts of Switzerland and southern Germany. One prominent individual was Johann Stähelin (1620-1669), a Swiss theologian and professor of theology at the University of Basel.
In the 19th century, the name Staehlin gained recognition through individuals like Johann Jakob Stähelin (1797-1875), a Swiss politician and historian who served as the President of the Swiss Federal Council in 1852.
Another notable figure was Rudolph Stähelin (1831-1900), a Swiss historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of the Reformation and the city of Basel.
The 20th century saw individuals like Gotthold Stähelin (1907-1998), a Swiss theologian and professor at the University of Basel, and Hans Stähelin (1887-1963), a Swiss architect and urban planner known for his work in Basel and other Swiss cities.
While the name Staehlin may have evolved from its original agricultural roots, it has been associated with various professions and fields throughout history, including theology, politics, academia, and architecture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Staehlin
Among Census respondents with the surname Staehlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Staehlin 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 Staehlin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 114
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Staehlin
Staehlin 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
#126,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
+6 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 3,451 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-18 bearers (-13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,505 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,765 | 135 | 0.05 | +6 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 3,451 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.3%) | Down 17,505 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 Staehlin 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 | #126,765 | #144,270 | -13.8% |
| Count | 135 | 117 | -13.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Staehlin bearers went from 135 to 117 (-13.3% change). The surname moved down 17,505 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,765 to #144,270.
FAQ
Staehlin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Staehlin?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Staehlin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Staehlin?
Staehlin ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Staehlin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Staehlin.
Has Staehlin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Staehlin went from 135 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 18 (-13.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,765 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Staehlin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Staehlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Staehlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Staehlin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Two or More Races (1.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Staehlin (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 Staehlin mean?
A surname indicating an association with iron-working or blacksmiths. 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 Staehlin (0.04 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 Staehlin?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.