2000
#17,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,490
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.55
Rare Last name
Stahlman
A German surname meaning "steel man", referring to one who worked with steel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,805 Americans carry the last name Stahlman. That puts it at #17,543 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 189,892 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stahlman 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
1.8K
1 in 189,892
Census rank
#17,543
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,574 bearers of the surname Stahlman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17543rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stahlman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stahlman
The surname Stahlman is of German origin, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the German words "Stahl," meaning steel, and "Mann," meaning man, essentially translating to "steelman" or "man of steel." This occupational surname likely originated in areas where steel production or metalworking was prevalent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Stahlman can be found in the Deutsches Familiennamen-Lexikon, a comprehensive dictionary of German surnames published in the late 19th century. According to this source, the name was first documented in the region of Saxony in the 14th century.
During the 16th century, the Stahlman name appeared in various legal and ecclesiastical records across Germany. Notably, a Johann Stahlman was mentioned in the Stadtbücher (city books) of Nuremberg in 1523, indicating the presence of the family in this influential city known for its metalworking and craftsmanship.
In the 17th century, the name Stahlman was associated with a notable figure, Peter Stahlman (1620-1692), a German lawyer and legal scholar from Saxony. His writings on Roman law and jurisprudence were widely recognized during his time.
As the Stahlman family spread across Germany, variations in spelling emerged, such as Stahlmann, Stallmann, and Stalhmann. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.
In the 18th century, the name Stahlman gained prominence in the town of Eisenach, Thuringia, where a wealthy merchant family by the name of Stahlman made significant contributions to the local economy and community. This family's wealth and influence were documented in various municipal records and chronicles.
Another notable figure with the Stahlman surname was Johann Gottfried Stahlman (1735-1819), a German theologian and philosopher from Saxony-Anhalt. He was known for his works on ethics and moral philosophy, which were widely studied in academic circles during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
As the Industrial Revolution swept across Europe in the 19th century, the Stahlman name became closely associated with the steel industry, with many families involved in steel production, manufacturing, and related trades. This connection further solidified the occupational origin of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stahlman
Among Census respondents with the surname Stahlman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Stahlman 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 Stahlman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 1,472
- Two or more races2.7% · 43
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 9
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stahlman
Stahlman 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
#17,605
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,596
+106 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Down 156 places
2020
#17,543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,574
-22 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.53
Rank movement Up 62 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,449 | 1,490 | 0.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,605 | 1,596 | 0.54 | +106 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 156 places |
| 2020 | #17,543 | 1,574 | 0.53 | -22 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 62 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 Stahlman 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 | #17,605 | #17,543 | 0.4% |
| Count | 1,596 | 1,574 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.54 | 0.53 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stahlman bearers went from 1,596 to 1,574 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 62 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,605 to #17,543.
FAQ
Stahlman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stahlman?
Name Census estimates that about 1,805 living Americans carry the surname Stahlman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 189,892 residents.
How common is Stahlman?
Stahlman ranks #17,543 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.53 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 1,574 people with the surname Stahlman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,805), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.53 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 Stahlman.
Has Stahlman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stahlman went from 1,596 recorded bearers to 1,574. That is a decrease of 22 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,605 to #17,543.
What does the Census say about the background of Stahlman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stahlman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Stahlman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (1,472 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stahlman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Stahlman (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 Stahlman mean?
A German surname meaning "steel man", referring to one who worked with steel. 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 Stahlman (0.53 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 Stahlman?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.