2000
#5,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,480
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.03
Rare Last name
Stamm
A German occupational surname referring to a person who stutters or stammers, or an ancestor who did.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,940 Americans carry the last name Stamm. That puts it at #6,308 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,703 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stamm 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
5.9K
1 in 57,703
Census rank
#6,308
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,180 bearers of the surname Stamm in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6308th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stamm, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stamm
The surname STAMM originated in Germany, where it first appeared in records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the German word "stamm," meaning "stem" or "trunk" of a tree, suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a distinctive tree or forest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the STAMM surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the region of Brandenburg, which mentions a "Henricus Stamme" in 1286. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the area by the late 13th century.
During the Middle Ages, the STAMM name was particularly prevalent in the German states of Bavaria, Saxony, and Württemberg. Several notable individuals from this period bore the surname, including Johann Stamm (1508-1572), a Lutheran theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the establishment of Protestantism in Württemberg.
In the 16th century, the STAMM surname also appeared in various records and manuscripts across Europe. For instance, the Liber Censualis, a census document from the city of Nuremberg, lists several STAMM families among its residents in the early 1500s.
As the centuries progressed, the STAMM name continued to spread throughout Germany and neighboring regions. One notable bearer of the surname was Johann Philipp Stamm (1675-1756), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Margrave of Baden-Durlach.
In the 19th century, the STAMM name gained prominence through the work of Frédéric Stamm (1822-1907), a Swiss mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to the study of electromagnetism and optics.
Another notable figure in more recent history was Rudolph Stamm (1903-1987), a German-American architect who designed several iconic buildings in New York City, including the American Bible Society building and the former headquarters of the American Stock Exchange.
While the STAMM surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. Today, it can be found in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and beyond, reflecting the global reach of this ancient German name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stamm
Among Census respondents with the surname Stamm, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Stamm 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 Stamm surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 4,806
- Two or more races3.1% · 161
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 129
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 52
- Black or African American0.4% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stamm
Stamm 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
#6,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,461
-19 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Down 473 places
2020
#6,308
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,180
-281 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Down 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,780 | 5,480 | 2.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,253 | 5,461 | 1.85 | -19 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 473 places |
| 2020 | #6,308 | 5,180 | 1.73 | -281 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 55 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 Stamm 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 | #6,253 | #6,308 | -0.9% |
| Count | 5,461 | 5,180 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.85 | 1.73 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stamm bearers went from 5,461 to 5,180 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,253 to #6,308.
FAQ
Stamm surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stamm?
Name Census estimates that about 5,940 living Americans carry the surname Stamm. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,703 residents.
How common is Stamm?
Stamm ranks #6,308 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.73 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 5,180 people with the surname Stamm. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,940), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.73 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 Stamm.
Has Stamm become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stamm went from 5,461 recorded bearers to 5,180. That is a decrease of 281 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,253 to #6,308.
What does the Census say about the background of Stamm?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stamm, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Stamm in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (4,806 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stamm appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Stamm (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 Stamm mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who stutters or stammers, or an ancestor who did. 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 Stamm (1.73 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 Americans have the surname Stamm?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.