2000
#4,655
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,962
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.58
Rare Last name
Stamps
An English occupational surname for a stamper or marker of coin money, or a nickname for a short person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,743 Americans carry the last name Stamps. That puts it at #5,034 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,266 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stamps 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 Stamps with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.7K
1 in 44,266
Census rank
#5,034
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,752 bearers of the surname Stamps in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5034th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stamps, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.9%. The next largest groups are Black (39.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stamps
The surname Stamps is an English occupational name derived from the Old English word "stempan," which means "to stamp or pound." It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century, when it was initially used to identify individuals who were responsible for stamping or pounding materials, such as metal or cloth.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Stamps can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, a historical record of tax payments, where a certain Walter Stamps is mentioned in 1379. The surname is also found in various other medieval records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1524, where a John Stamps is listed.
During the Middle Ages, the Stamps name was concentrated primarily in the counties of Yorkshire, Suffolk, and Norfolk, although it later spread to other parts of England. The name may have also been derived from certain place names, such as Stamford or Stamford Bridge, both of which contain elements related to the Old English word "stempan."
One notable figure in history who bore the surname Stamps was William Stamps (c. 1590-1676), an English soldier and politician who served as a member of Parliament during the English Civil War. Another individual of note was John Stamps (1677-1743), a British naval officer who served as Captain of the Royal Navy during the early 18th century.
In the 19th century, the Stamps name gained wider recognition with the birth of Thomas Stamps (1823-1897), a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal College of Music and the Royal Albert Hall. Another influential figure was James Stamps (1856-1933), an American educator and civil rights activist who played a significant role in the establishment of historically black colleges and universities in the United States.
Lastly, one cannot overlook the contributions of Ira Stamps (1896-1971), an American blues singer and guitarist who was instrumental in the development of the St. Louis blues sound in the early 20th century. His recordings and performances helped to shape the evolution of blues music and influenced countless artists who followed in his footsteps.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stamps
Among Census respondents with the surname Stamps, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.9%. The next largest groups are Black (39.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Stamps 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 Stamps surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.9% · 3,437
- Black or African American39.3% · 2,653
- Two or more races4.7% · 318
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 264
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stamps
Stamps 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
#4,828
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,307
+345 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 2.48
Rank movement Down 173 places
2020
#5,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,752
-555 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Down 206 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,655 | 6,962 | 2.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,828 | 7,307 | 2.48 | +345 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 173 places |
| 2020 | #5,034 | 6,752 | 2.26 | -555 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 206 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 Stamps 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 | #4,828 | #5,034 | -4.3% |
| Count | 7,307 | 6,752 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.48 | 2.26 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stamps bearers went from 7,307 to 6,752 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 206 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,828 to #5,034.
FAQ
Stamps surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stamps?
Name Census estimates that about 7,743 living Americans carry the surname Stamps. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,266 residents.
How common is Stamps?
Stamps ranks #5,034 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.26 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 6,752 people with the surname Stamps. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,743), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.26 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 Stamps.
Has Stamps become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stamps went from 7,307 recorded bearers to 6,752. That is a decrease of 555 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,828 to #5,034.
What does the Census say about the background of Stamps?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stamps, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.9%. The next largest groups are Black (39.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Stamps in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.9% (3,437 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stamps appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.9%), Black (39.3%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Stamps (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 Stamps mean?
An English occupational surname for a stamper or marker of coin money, or a nickname for a short person. 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 Stamps (2.26 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 Stamps?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.