2000
#2,608
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,729
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.72
Uncommon Last name
Stamper
An occupational surname referring to one who stamps or impresses designs on metal or other materials.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,422 Americans carry the last name Stamper. That puts it at #2,790 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,766 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stamper 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Stamper with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 23,766
Census rank
#2,790
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,577 bearers of the surname Stamper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2790th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stamper, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stamper
The surname Stamper is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "stempan," which means "to stamp" or "to tread." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone whose occupation involved stamping or treading, such as a worker in a mill or a tanner.
The name Stamper can be traced back to the 13th century, with early records indicating its presence in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Derbyshire. One of the earliest known references to the name is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, where a certain Richard le Stamper is mentioned.
In the 14th century, the name appears in several historical documents, including the Pipe Rolls of Leicestershire from 1327, where a John Stamper is listed. Additionally, the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1332 mention a Thomas Stamper.
The Stamper surname has been associated with various place names throughout England. For instance, in Lancashire, there is a town called Stamper, which may have been named after an early bearer of the surname or vice versa. Similarly, in Derbyshire, there is a hamlet called Stampers, potentially derived from the same source.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Stamper surname is William Stamper, who was born in York, England, around 1450. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city during the latter half of the 15th century.
Another notable figure bearing the Stamper name was John Stamper (1559-1629), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Broxbourne in Hertfordshire. He is best known for his work titled "The Doctrine of Salvation," published in 1621.
In the 17th century, a certain Robert Stamper (1620-1687) gained recognition as a skilled mathematician and surveyor. He worked extensively in London and is credited with contributing to the reconstruction efforts after the Great Fire of London in 1666.
During the 18th century, the Stamper family established itself in the textile industry in Yorkshire. One prominent member was Samuel Stamper (1738-1812), who owned a successful wool processing mill in the town of Wakefield.
In more recent times, the name Stamper has been associated with individuals in various fields, such as Sir Joseph Stamper (1886-1971), a British businessman and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of Birmingham from 1948 to 1949.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stamper
Among Census respondents with the surname Stamper, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Stamper 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 Stamper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 10,847
- Black or African American5.3% · 663
- Two or more races4.5% · 572
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 287
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 118
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 90
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stamper
Stamper 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
#2,666
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,528
+799 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 4.59
Rank movement Down 58 places
2020
#2,790
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,577
-951 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 4.21
Rank movement Down 124 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,608 | 12,729 | 4.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,666 | 13,528 | 4.59 | +799 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 58 places |
| 2020 | #2,790 | 12,577 | 4.21 | -951 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 124 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 Stamper 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 | #2,666 | #2,790 | -4.7% |
| Count | 13,528 | 12,577 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 4.59 | 4.21 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stamper bearers went from 13,528 to 12,577 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 124 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,666 to #2,790.
FAQ
Stamper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stamper?
Name Census estimates that about 14,422 living Americans carry the surname Stamper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,766 residents.
How common is Stamper?
Stamper ranks #2,790 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,577 people with the surname Stamper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,422), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Stamper.
Has Stamper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stamper went from 13,528 recorded bearers to 12,577. That is a decrease of 951 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,666 to #2,790.
What does the Census say about the background of Stamper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stamper, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Stamper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (10,847 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stamper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), Black (5.3%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Stamper (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 Stamper mean?
An occupational surname referring to one who stamps or impresses designs on metal or other materials. 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 Stamper (4.21 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 Stamper?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.