2000
#11,893
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,410
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Stage
An occupational surname referring to a person who worked on a raised platform for theatrical performances.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,585 Americans carry the last name Stage. That puts it at #13,021 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 132,594 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stage 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
2.6K
1 in 132,594
Census rank
#13,021
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,254 bearers of the surname Stage in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13021st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stage, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stage
The surname STAGE is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages, deriving from the Old English word "stæg," which referred to a male deer or stag. It's thought to have initially been an occupational name given to someone who worked as a deer hunter or served as a gamekeeper in the royal forests.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the STAGE surname appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a William le Stage was listed. This roll was a census-like record compiled during the reign of King Edward I, providing valuable insight into the prevalence of surnames in medieval England.
In the 14th century, records show a John Stage residing in the village of Stratton, Somerset, suggesting that the name may have originated in that region. Additionally, the Placename Surname References from 1379 mention a William Stage from Staplehurst, Kent, indicating the name's presence in various parts of southern England during that era.
The STAGE surname can also be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as a variant spelling, "Stag." This influential document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, recorded landowners and their holdings across England, making it a valuable resource for tracing the origins of surnames.
Notable individuals bearing the STAGE surname include:
1. Sir John Stage (c. 1520-1593), an English military commander who served under Queen Elizabeth I during the Anglo-Spanish War.
2. William Stage (1564-1623), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Bishop of Exeter from 1615 until his death.
3. Robert Stage (1675-1741), a British author and poet known for his satirical works critiquing contemporary society.
4. Elizabeth Stage (1732-1808), a pioneering English writer and feminist who advocated for women's rights and education.
5. Thomas Stage (1805-1871), a prominent English industrialist and philanthropist who established several charitable foundations in his hometown of Birmingham.
While the STAGE surname has evolved over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it initially denoted an occupation or role related to the hunting and management of deer in royal forests.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stage
Among Census respondents with the surname Stage, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Stage 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 Stage surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 2,041
- Two or more races4.5% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 70
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 19
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stage
Stage 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
#11,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,641
+231 bearers (+9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 37 places
2020
#13,021
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,254
-387 bearers (-14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 1,165 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,893 | 2,410 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,856 | 2,641 | 0.90 | +231 bearers (+9.6%) | Up 37 places |
| 2020 | #13,021 | 2,254 | 0.75 | -387 bearers (-14.7%) | Down 1,165 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 Stage 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 | #11,856 | #13,021 | -9.8% |
| Count | 2,641 | 2,254 | -14.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.75 | -16.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stage bearers went from 2,641 to 2,254 (-14.7% change). The surname moved down 1,165 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,856 to #13,021.
FAQ
Stage surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stage?
Name Census estimates that about 2,585 living Americans carry the surname Stage. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 132,594 residents.
How common is Stage?
Stage ranks #13,021 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,254 people with the surname Stage. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,585), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Stage.
Has Stage become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stage went from 2,641 recorded bearers to 2,254. That is a decrease of 387 (-14.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,856 to #13,021.
What does the Census say about the background of Stage?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stage, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Stage in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (2,041 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stage appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Stage (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 Stage mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who worked on a raised platform for theatrical performances. 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 Stage (0.75 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 Stage?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.