2000
#5,850
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,420
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.01
Rare Last name
Stambaugh
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "pond by a tree stump" in German.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,671 Americans carry the last name Stambaugh. That puts it at #6,575 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,440 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stambaugh 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
5.7K
1 in 60,440
Census rank
#6,575
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,945 bearers of the surname Stambaugh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6575th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stambaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stambaugh
The surname Stambaugh is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the German states of Bavaria and Franconia, where the name was first recorded in various forms, such as Stambach, Stammbach, and Stambacher.
The name Stambaugh is derived from the German words "Stamm," meaning "stem" or "trunk," and "Bach," meaning "stream" or "brook." This suggests that the name likely referred to a person who lived near a stream or brook surrounded by trees or a wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Stambaugh dates back to the 13th century, when a person named Cunradus dictus Stammbach was mentioned in the records of the city of Nuremberg in 1285. This early spelling variation, "Stammbach," reinforces the connection to the original meaning of the name.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various other historical records and documents, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, which contains a reference to a person named Hermanno Stambacher in 1349.
Over the centuries, the Stambaugh surname has been associated with several notable individuals, including:
1. Peter Stambaugh (1573-1644), a German-born Protestant minister and early settler in Pennsylvania, who is credited with establishing the first Lutheran congregation in the state.
2. Johann Christoph Stambaugh (1711-1786), a German-born American clockmaker and silversmith, known for his intricate and ornate craftsmanship.
3. William Stambaugh (1788-1871), an American lawyer and politician from Pennsylvania, who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
4. John Stambaugh (1813-1895), an American businessman and philanthropist from Ohio, who founded the Stambaugh Hospital and donated land for the establishment of Stambaugh Stadium.
5. Johann Gottlieb Stambaugh (1822-1905), a German-born American architect and builder, renowned for his work in the Gothic Revival style, particularly in the design of churches and public buildings.
While the Stambaugh name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly in the United States, where many German immigrants settled and established families.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stambaugh
Among Census respondents with the surname Stambaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Stambaugh 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 Stambaugh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 4,550
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 162
- Two or more races3.2% · 160
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 33
- Black or African American0.4% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stambaugh
Stambaugh 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
#5,958
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,775
+355 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.96
Rank movement Down 108 places
2020
#6,575
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,945
-830 bearers (-14.4%)
Per 100,000 1.65
Rank movement Down 617 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,850 | 5,420 | 2.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,958 | 5,775 | 1.96 | +355 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 108 places |
| 2020 | #6,575 | 4,945 | 1.65 | -830 bearers (-14.4%) | Down 617 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 Stambaugh 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 | #5,958 | #6,575 | -10.4% |
| Count | 5,775 | 4,945 | -14.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.96 | 1.65 | -15.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stambaugh bearers went from 5,775 to 4,945 (-14.4% change). The surname moved down 617 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,958 to #6,575.
FAQ
Stambaugh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stambaugh?
Name Census estimates that about 5,671 living Americans carry the surname Stambaugh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,440 residents.
How common is Stambaugh?
Stambaugh ranks #6,575 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,945 people with the surname Stambaugh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,671), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Stambaugh.
Has Stambaugh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stambaugh went from 5,775 recorded bearers to 4,945. That is a decrease of 830 (-14.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,958 to #6,575.
What does the Census say about the background of Stambaugh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stambaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Stambaugh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (4,550 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stambaugh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Stambaugh (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 Stambaugh mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "pond by a tree stump" in German. 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 Stambaugh (1.65 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 Stambaugh?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.