2000
#71,143
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 256
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Stainton
From a stony place or settlement surrounded by stones or quarries.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 289 Americans carry the last name Stainton. That puts it at #81,047 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,186,001 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stainton 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 Stainton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
289
1 in 1,186,001
Census rank
#81,047
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
252
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 252 bearers of the surname Stainton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 81047th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stainton, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stainton
The surname Stainton originated in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "stan" meaning stone and "tun" meaning a farm or enclosure, indicating that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a stone farm or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Stainton can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The name is mentioned in connection with various locations, such as Stainton in Yorkshire and Stainton in Cumbria.
During the Middle Ages, the name Stainton appeared in various historical documents and records, often associated with landowners and prominent families in northern England. For example, the Stainton family held lands in the village of Stainton in the North Riding of Yorkshire for several centuries.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name Stainton was William Stainton (c. 1520-1590), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Archdeacon of Durham. Another prominent individual was Sir Henry Stainton (1578-1633), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Hedon in Yorkshire.
In the 19th century, Henry Tibbats Stainton (1822-1892) was a renowned English entomologist and founder of the Entomological Society of London. He made significant contributions to the study of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) and published numerous works on the subject.
Other notable individuals with the surname Stainton include Walter Henry Stainton (1846-1914), an English architect responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in the late Victorian era, and Edward Stainton (1854-1930), a British businessman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Nottingham from 1906 to 1918.
While the surname Stainton has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and has taken on various spellings and variations over time. However, its origins can be traced back to the stone farms and settlements of medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stainton
Among Census respondents with the surname Stainton, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Stainton 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 Stainton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 237
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 5
- Two or more races2.0% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 3
- Black or African American0.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stainton
Stainton 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
#76,029
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 253
-3 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 4,886 places
2020
#81,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 252
-1 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 5,018 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #71,143 | 256 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #76,029 | 253 | 0.09 | -3 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 4,886 places |
| 2020 | #81,047 | 252 | 0.08 | -1 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 5,018 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 Stainton 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 | #76,029 | #81,047 | -6.6% |
| Count | 253 | 252 | -0.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.08 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stainton bearers went from 253 to 252 (-0.4% change). The surname moved down 5,018 positions in the national ranking, going from #76,029 to #81,047.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Stainton
FAQ
Stainton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stainton?
Name Census estimates that about 289 living Americans carry the surname Stainton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,186,001 residents.
How common is Stainton?
Stainton ranks #81,047 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 252 people with the surname Stainton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (289), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Stainton.
Has Stainton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stainton went from 253 recorded bearers to 252. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #76,029 to #81,047.
What does the Census say about the background of Stainton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stainton, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Stainton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (237 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stainton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (2.0%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Stainton (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 Stainton mean?
From a stony place or settlement surrounded by stones or quarries. 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 Stainton (0.08 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 Stainton?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.