Find out how popular the last name Stam is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Stam.

Stam, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Stam surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Stam in America

Stam is the 18486th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Stam surname appeared 1,495 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Stam.

We can also compare 2010 data for Stam to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Stam

The surname STAM has its origins in the Netherlands, dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch word "stam," which means "trunk" or "stem," referring to the main branch or lineage of a family tree. This surname may have been initially used to identify individuals who lived near a prominent tree or forest.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the STAM surname can be found in the Dutch baptismal records from the city of Amsterdam in the late 1500s. It appeared in various spellings, such as "Stamm" and "Stammer," reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spelling conventions at the time.

In the 17th century, the STAM surname gained prominence in the Netherlands, particularly in the region of Friesland. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Pieter Jansz STAM (1615-1668), a renowned Dutch Golden Age painter known for his marine landscapes and coastal scenes.

As the Dutch expanded their global influence through maritime exploration and trade, the STAM surname spread to other parts of the world, including the Dutch colonies in the East Indies (present-day Indonesia) and the Cape Colony (present-day South Africa). One notable figure was Jacobus Johannes STAM (1744-1823), a Dutch-born South African explorer and cartographer who played a significant role in mapping the interior regions of South Africa.

In the 19th century, the STAM surname appeared in various German-speaking regions, likely due to the migration of Dutch families or the adoption of the name by German families. One such individual was Karl STAM (1833-1907), a German-born American businessman and politician who served as the mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, from 1893 to 1897.

Another notable figure was Henriette STAM (1866-1945), a Dutch educator and feminist who founded the first secondary school for girls in the Netherlands and played a pivotal role in advancing women's education and rights in the country.

The STAM surname has also been associated with notable figures in the field of architecture. One example is Mart STAM (1899-1986), a Dutch architect and pioneering figure in the Modern Movement, known for his innovative designs and contributions to functionalist architecture.

While the surname STAM has its roots in the Netherlands, it has spread across various regions and cultures, reflecting the global migration patterns and the diverse histories of families bearing this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Stam

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Stam.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Stam was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Stam has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Stam was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Stam, please contact us.

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