2000
#9,295
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,225
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Standifer
An English occupational surname derived from the Old English words "stān" (stone) and "dīc" (dike or ditch).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,464 Americans carry the last name Standifer. That puts it at #10,165 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,948 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Standifer 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
3.5K
1 in 98,948
Census rank
#10,165
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,021 bearers of the surname Standifer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10165th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Standifer, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.4%. The next largest groups are Black (35.0%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Standifer
The surname Standifer is an English locational name derived from a place called Standiford, located in Staffordshire, England. The name is believed to have originated in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
The name Standiford itself is composed of two Old English elements: "stān" meaning "stone" and "ford" referring to a shallow river crossing. This suggests that the original place name referred to a settlement near a stone ford or a ford made of stone.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, a historical record compiled in 1273, where a person named John de Standiford is mentioned.
In the 14th century, a variant spelling of the surname, "Standifer," is found in the Register of the Freemen of York, dated 1358, which lists a person named William Standifer.
During the 16th century, the surname appeared in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire in 1524, where a Robert Standifer is listed. Another notable individual from this period was John Standifer, who was born in 1532 in Staffordshire and served as a member of the English Parliament.
In the 17th century, a prominent figure bearing this surname was Sir Thomas Standifer (1618-1689), an English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Staffordshire.
Another notable individual was William Standifer (1650-1724), a successful merchant and alderman in the city of London, known for his philanthropic contributions to various charitable causes.
Moving into the 18th century, the surname continued to be found in various records, including the Parish Registers of Staffordshire, which mention a John Standifer (1701-1778), a farmer and landowner in the county.
Throughout the centuries, the surname Standifer has also been associated with several places in England, such as Standifer's Wood in Staffordshire and Standifer's Farm in Somerset, further solidifying its connection to specific locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Standifer
Among Census respondents with the surname Standifer, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.4%. The next largest groups are Black (35.0%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Standifer 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 Standifer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.4% · 1,582
- Black or African American35.0% · 1,057
- Two or more races5.8% · 175
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.6% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 89
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Standifer
Standifer 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
#9,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,438
+213 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 169 places
2020
#10,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,021
-417 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 701 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,295 | 3,225 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,464 | 3,438 | 1.17 | +213 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 169 places |
| 2020 | #10,165 | 3,021 | 1.01 | -417 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 701 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 Standifer 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 | #9,464 | #10,165 | -7.4% |
| Count | 3,438 | 3,021 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.01 | -13.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Standifer bearers went from 3,438 to 3,021 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 701 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,464 to #10,165.
FAQ
Standifer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Standifer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,464 living Americans carry the surname Standifer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,948 residents.
How common is Standifer?
Standifer ranks #10,165 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,021 people with the surname Standifer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,464), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Standifer.
Has Standifer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Standifer went from 3,438 recorded bearers to 3,021. That is a decrease of 417 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,464 to #10,165.
What does the Census say about the background of Standifer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Standifer, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.4%. The next largest groups are Black (35.0%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Standifer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.4% (1,582 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Standifer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.4%), Black (35.0%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Standifer (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 Standifer mean?
An English occupational surname derived from the Old English words "stān" (stone) and "dīc" (dike or ditch). 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 Standifer (1.01 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 share the surname Standifer?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.