2000
#13,266
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Stalter
A habitational surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone living near a barn or stable.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,334 Americans carry the last name Stalter. That puts it at #14,165 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 146,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stalter 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
2.3K
1 in 146,853
Census rank
#14,165
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,035 bearers of the surname Stalter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14165th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stalter, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stalter
The surname Stalter has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "stalter," which referred to a person who oversaw stables or managed horses and livestock. The name may also have roots in the Low German word "stallüer" or "stallhuer," meaning a stableman or groom.
In the early days, the surname was primarily concentrated in the regions of Bavaria and Franconia, where many families were involved in agricultural and equestrian pursuits. The name appeared in various local records and registers, often with slight variations in spelling, such as Stallter, Stallter, or Stalter.
One of the earliest known references to the name Stalter can be found in the parish records of the town of Nuremberg, dated 1587. The entry mentions a certain Hans Stalter, who was a respected member of the local community and worked as a stable master for a wealthy landowner.
As the centuries passed, the Stalter name spread to other parts of Germany and even beyond its borders. In the 18th century, Johann Stalter (1708-1784), a notable theologian and preacher, gained recognition for his scholarly works and sermons in the city of Frankfurt.
Another prominent figure bearing the Stalter name was Karl Stalter (1821-1898), a German-born painter and illustrator who became known for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life. His works were highly acclaimed during his lifetime and can be found in various art museums throughout Europe.
In the 19th century, the Stalter family had established a presence in the United States, with several immigrants arriving from Germany and settling in various states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin. One notable American Stalter was William Stalter (1842-1919), a successful businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Stalter Wagon Company in Ohio, which manufactured horse-drawn carriages and wagons.
Another individual of note was Friedrich Stalter (1870-1945), a German-American architect who designed numerous buildings in the Chicago area, including the iconic Stalter Building, which still stands today as a prime example of early 20th-century commercial architecture.
As the Stalter name spread across different regions and countries, it also gave rise to various place names and toponyms. For instance, the village of Staltersgarten in Bavaria, Germany, is believed to have been named after an early Stalter family who resided there.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stalter
Among Census respondents with the surname Stalter, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Stalter 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 Stalter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 1,920
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 51
- Two or more races2.2% · 45
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stalter
Stalter 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
#12,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,417
+307 bearers (+14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 500 places
2020
#14,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,035
-382 bearers (-15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 1,399 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,266 | 2,110 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,766 | 2,417 | 0.82 | +307 bearers (+14.5%) | Up 500 places |
| 2020 | #14,165 | 2,035 | 0.68 | -382 bearers (-15.8%) | Down 1,399 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 Stalter 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 | #12,766 | #14,165 | -11.0% |
| Count | 2,417 | 2,035 | -15.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.68 | -17.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stalter bearers went from 2,417 to 2,035 (-15.8% change). The surname moved down 1,399 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,766 to #14,165.
FAQ
Stalter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stalter?
Name Census estimates that about 2,334 living Americans carry the surname Stalter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 146,853 residents.
How common is Stalter?
Stalter ranks #14,165 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,035 people with the surname Stalter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,334), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Stalter.
Has Stalter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stalter went from 2,417 recorded bearers to 2,035. That is a decrease of 382 (-15.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,766 to #14,165.
What does the Census say about the background of Stalter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stalter, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Stalter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (1,920 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stalter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Stalter (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 Stalter mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone living near a barn or stable. 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 Stalter (0.68 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 Stalter?
See how many Americans have the surname Stalter on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.