2000
#9,196
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,262
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Stang
A Norwegian habitational surname derived from any of several farmsteads named Stang, meaning "pole" or "post."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,562 Americans carry the last name Stang. That puts it at #9,924 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,225 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stang 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
3.6K
1 in 96,225
Census rank
#9,924
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,106 bearers of the surname Stang in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9924th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stang, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stang
The surname Stang has its origins in the Germanic languages, specifically the Old Norse word "stöng," which referred to a pole, rod, or staff. This name likely originated in Scandinavia, particularly in areas that were influenced by Norse culture and settlement during the Viking Age (793-1066 AD).
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Stang can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a historic record of landholdings and populations commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this document, the name appears as "Steng," which is believed to be a variant spelling of Stang.
The name Stang may have been derived from place names or geographical features associated with poles or staves, such as boundary markers or signposts. In some cases, it could also have been an occupational surname given to individuals involved in the production or use of poles, staves, or staffs.
Notable individuals with the surname Stang throughout history include:
1. Hildebrand Stang (c. 1475-1554), a Norwegian Lutheran clergyman and the first Protestant Bishop of Stavanger.
2. Frederik Stang (1808-1884), a Norwegian statesman and Prime Minister of Norway from 1873 to 1874.
3. William Stang (1837-1920), an American prelate who served as the Bishop of Fall River, Massachusetts, from 1904 until his death.
4. Gottlieb Stang (1875-1932), a Norwegian politician and member of the Norwegian Parliament.
5. Carl Stang (1891-1977), a Norwegian explorer and one of the first explorers to reach the geographic South Pole.
The Stang surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Stangeland in Norway and Stangby in Sweden, further reinforcing its geographical and linguistic roots in Scandinavia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stang
Among Census respondents with the surname Stang, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Stang 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 Stang surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 2,853
- Two or more races2.9% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 34
- Black or African American0.8% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stang
Stang 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
#9,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,505
+243 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 90 places
2020
#9,924
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,106
-399 bearers (-11.4%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 638 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,196 | 3,262 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,286 | 3,505 | 1.19 | +243 bearers (+7.4%) | Down 90 places |
| 2020 | #9,924 | 3,106 | 1.04 | -399 bearers (-11.4%) | Down 638 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 Stang 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 | #9,286 | #9,924 | -6.9% |
| Count | 3,505 | 3,106 | -11.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.19 | 1.04 | -12.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stang bearers went from 3,505 to 3,106 (-11.4% change). The surname moved down 638 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,286 to #9,924.
FAQ
Stang surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stang?
Name Census estimates that about 3,562 living Americans carry the surname Stang. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,225 residents.
How common is Stang?
Stang ranks #9,924 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 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 3,106 people with the surname Stang. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,562), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 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 Stang.
Has Stang become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stang went from 3,505 recorded bearers to 3,106. That is a decrease of 399 (-11.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,286 to #9,924.
What does the Census say about the background of Stang?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stang, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Stang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (2,853 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stang appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Stang (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 Stang mean?
A Norwegian habitational surname derived from any of several farmsteads named Stang, meaning "pole" or "post." 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 Stang (1.04 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 last name Stang?
Find out how common the surname Stang is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.