2000
#11,879
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,413
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Stair
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of ladders or stairs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,632 Americans carry the last name Stair. That puts it at #12,813 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,226 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stair 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
2.6K
1 in 130,226
Census rank
#12,813
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,295 bearers of the surname Stair in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12813th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stair, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stair
The surname "Stair" originated in Scotland and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "stæger," which means "stair" or "flight of steps." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent staircase or steep hill.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as "Stair," "Staire," and "Stayer" in Scottish charters and records. One of the earliest recorded instances was in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where a "William del Stayr" was listed as a landowner in Berwickshire.
The Stair family played a significant role in Scottish history, with several notable members. Sir James Stair (1619-1695) was a prominent Scottish lawyer and philosopher who served as Lord President of the Court of Session. His son, John Stair (1648-1707), followed in his footsteps and became an influential legal writer.
Another notable figure was James Dalrymple, 1st Viscount Stair (1619-1695), a Scottish soldier and diplomat who served as Secretary of State for Scotland. He was instrumental in negotiating the Union of Scotland and England in 1707.
In the 18th century, the surname Stair was also associated with the village of Stair in Ayrshire, Scotland. This place name likely derived from the same Old English root as the surname, reflecting the local geography.
Several other individuals with the surname Stair made their mark in various fields. Sir John Stair (1720-1789) was a Scottish philosopher and jurist, while James Stair (1805-1868) was a Scottish architect known for his work in Glasgow.
It is worth noting that the Stair surname has also been recorded with slight variations such as "Stayer," "Steir," and "Steyr" in historical documents, reflecting the fluid nature of spellings in earlier times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stair
Among Census respondents with the surname Stair, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Stair 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 Stair surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 2,072
- Black or African American3.6% · 83
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 67
- Two or more races2.3% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stair
Stair 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
#12,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,522
+109 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 449 places
2020
#12,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,295
-227 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 485 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,879 | 2,413 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,328 | 2,522 | 0.85 | +109 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 449 places |
| 2020 | #12,813 | 2,295 | 0.77 | -227 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 485 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 Stair 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 | #12,328 | #12,813 | -3.9% |
| Count | 2,522 | 2,295 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.77 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stair bearers went from 2,522 to 2,295 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 485 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,328 to #12,813.
FAQ
Stair surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stair?
Name Census estimates that about 2,632 living Americans carry the surname Stair. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,226 residents.
How common is Stair?
Stair ranks #12,813 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,295 people with the surname Stair. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,632), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Stair.
Has Stair become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stair went from 2,522 recorded bearers to 2,295. That is a decrease of 227 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,328 to #12,813.
What does the Census say about the background of Stair?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stair, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Stair in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (2,072 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stair appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Black (3.6%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Stair (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 Stair mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of ladders or stairs. 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 Stair (0.77 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 are called Stair?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Stair on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.