2000
#3,490
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,369
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.47
Uncommon Last name
Staggs
An English occupational surname referring to a person who owned or worked with male deer or stags.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,256 Americans carry the last name Staggs. That puts it at #3,865 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,420 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Staggs 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 Staggs with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,420
Census rank
#3,865
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,944 bearers of the surname Staggs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3865th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Staggs, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Staggs
Staggs is an English surname with its roots dating back to the medieval period. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English word 'stagga', meaning a stag or a male deer. It was likely an occupational name given to someone who worked as a hunter or a deer stalker.
The surname Staggs can be traced back to the county of Yorkshire in northern England. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, where a person named William Stagge is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use during the 12th century.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Stagge, Stagg, and Staggs. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a John le Stagge in Oxfordshire, while the Yorkshire Assize Rolls of 1297 record a Robert Stagge.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Staggs. However, it does mention several place names that may have later influenced the formation of the surname, such as Stag in Lincolnshire and Stag's Den in Somerset.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Staggs appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a John Staggs is listed.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Staggs:
1. Sir John Staggs (c. 1450 - 1515), an English soldier and statesman who served as a member of parliament for Gloucestershire.
2. William Staggs (1621 - 1677), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
3. Elizabeth Staggs (c. 1670 - 1738), an English poet and playwright whose works gained popularity in the early 18th century.
4. Thomas Staggs (1755 - 1825), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
5. John Staggs (1804 - 1879), an English architect known for designing several churches and public buildings in London.
Overall, the surname Staggs has a rich history rooted in the English countryside, where it likely originated as an occupational name for those involved in hunting or deer stalking. Over the centuries, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including soldiers, clergymen, authors, and architects.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Staggs
Among Census respondents with the surname Staggs, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Staggs 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 Staggs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 7,889
- Two or more races4.9% · 441
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 310
- Black or African American1.9% · 169
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 69
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 66
Timeline
Historical Census data for Staggs
Staggs 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
#3,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,514
+145 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 3.23
Rank movement Down 234 places
2020
#3,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,944
-570 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 2.99
Rank movement Down 141 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,490 | 9,369 | 3.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,724 | 9,514 | 3.23 | +145 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 234 places |
| 2020 | #3,865 | 8,944 | 2.99 | -570 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 141 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 Staggs 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 | #3,724 | #3,865 | -3.8% |
| Count | 9,514 | 8,944 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.23 | 2.99 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Staggs bearers went from 9,514 to 8,944 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 141 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,724 to #3,865.
FAQ
Staggs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Staggs?
Name Census estimates that about 10,256 living Americans carry the surname Staggs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,420 residents.
How common is Staggs?
Staggs ranks #3,865 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.99 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,944 people with the surname Staggs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,256), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.99 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Staggs.
Has Staggs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Staggs went from 9,514 recorded bearers to 8,944. That is a decrease of 570 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,724 to #3,865.
What does the Census say about the background of Staggs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Staggs, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Staggs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (7,889 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Staggs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Staggs (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 Staggs mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who owned or worked with male deer or stags. 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 Staggs (2.99 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 common is the surname Staggs?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Staggs on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.