2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Stahla
An occupational surname derived from a Germanic word meaning "steel" or "steel worker."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Stahla. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stahla 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Stahla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stahla, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stahla
The surname Stahla has its origins in Germany, first appearing in records during the 13th century. It is believed to have originated as a locational name from a place called Stahle or Stahl, possibly derived from the Old High German word "stal" meaning steel or metal.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, where a certain Heinrich Stahla is mentioned in a charter dated 1278.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms such as Stahler, Stahlere, and Staheler, indicating its locational origins. For instance, a Conradus Stahler is listed in the records of the city of Nuremberg in 1392.
During the 15th century, the surname Stahla began to spread across other parts of Germany, possibly due to migration or the establishment of new settlements. In 1457, a Johannes Stahla is recorded in the archives of the city of Cologne.
One notable historical figure bearing this surname was Hans Stahla, a German gunsmith and master armorer who lived in the 16th century (c. 1500-1570). He was renowned for his craftsmanship in creating intricate firearms and armor for nobility and royalty.
Another prominent individual was Johann Stahla, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1587 to 1654. He was a professor at the University of Wittenberg and wrote several influential works on Protestant theology and ethics.
In the 17th century, the name appears in records from various regions of Germany, such as the Palatinate and Bavaria. For example, a Georg Stahla is listed as a resident of the town of Heidelberg in 1623.
In the 18th century, the surname Stahla continued to be found across Germany, with instances recorded in places like Saxony and Württemberg. One noteworthy individual from this period was Johann Georg Stahla (1715-1789), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Duke of Saxe-Weimar.
As the name spread further across Europe, it also found its way into other countries through migration and cultural exchange. For instance, in the 19th century, there are records of individuals with the surname Stahla in Austria, Switzerland, and even as far as Russia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stahla
Among Census respondents with the surname Stahla, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Stahla 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 Stahla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.1% · 100
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stahla
Stahla 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-11 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 21,649 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 4,250 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 21,649 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 4,250 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 Stahla 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 | #158,432 | #154,182 | 2.7% |
| Count | 102 | 103 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stahla bearers went from 102 to 103 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 4,250 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #154,182.
FAQ
Stahla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stahla?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Stahla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Stahla?
Stahla ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Stahla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Stahla.
Has Stahla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stahla went from 102 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 1 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Stahla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stahla, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Stahla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stahla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.1%), Black (1.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Stahla (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 Stahla mean?
An occupational surname derived from a Germanic word meaning "steel" or "steel worker." 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 Stahla (0.03 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 Stahla?
Find out how many people have the surname Stahla on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.