2000
#12,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,325
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Stagner
An English occupational surname for someone who worked with or lived near a pond or small lake.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,540 Americans carry the last name Stagner. That puts it at #13,208 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,943 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stagner 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
2.5K
1 in 134,943
Census rank
#13,208
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,215 bearers of the surname Stagner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13208th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stagner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stagner
The surname Stagner is believed to have originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English word "stagnere," which referred to a person who lived near or worked with stagnant water or pools. The name could also be related to the Middle English word "stagnour," meaning a pond or pool.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Stagner can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Stagnere" in the county of Gloucestershire. This suggests that the name was already well-established in certain regions of England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, records show a John Stagner living in the village of Stagners, near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. This place name is likely derived from the surname itself, indicating that the Stagner family had a significant presence in the area during that time.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Stagner throughout history include Sir William Stagner (1495-1572), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another notable figure was John Stagner (1618-1683), a Puritan minister and author who served as the pastor of the First Church of Christ in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
In the late 17th century, a branch of the Stagner family migrated to the American colonies, where they settled in various parts of New England. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America is that of Thomas Stagner, who was born in Massachusetts in 1692.
Other notable Stagners include Benjamin Stagner (1754-1821), a soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War, and Sarah Stagner (1828-1901), a renowned educator and women's rights advocate in Indiana.
Throughout its history, the surname Stagner has undergone various spellings, such as Stagnor, Stayner, and Staner, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and regional dialects. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained consistent, tracing back to its Anglo-Saxon roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stagner
Among Census respondents with the surname Stagner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Stagner 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 Stagner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 1,962
- Two or more races5.0% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 21
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stagner
Stagner 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
#12,961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,370
+45 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 688 places
2020
#13,208
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,215
-155 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 247 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,273 | 2,325 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,961 | 2,370 | 0.80 | +45 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 688 places |
| 2020 | #13,208 | 2,215 | 0.74 | -155 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 247 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 Stagner 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 | #12,961 | #13,208 | -1.9% |
| Count | 2,370 | 2,215 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.74 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stagner bearers went from 2,370 to 2,215 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 247 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,961 to #13,208.
FAQ
Stagner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stagner?
Name Census estimates that about 2,540 living Americans carry the surname Stagner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,943 residents.
How common is Stagner?
Stagner ranks #13,208 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,215 people with the surname Stagner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,540), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Stagner.
Has Stagner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stagner went from 2,370 recorded bearers to 2,215. That is a decrease of 155 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,961 to #13,208.
What does the Census say about the background of Stagner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stagner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Stagner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (1,962 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stagner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Stagner (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 Stagner mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who worked with or lived near a pond or small lake. 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 Stagner (0.74 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 Stagner?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.