2000
#9,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,281
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.22
Rare Last name
Stanger
An occupational surname for someone who lived near or worked with poles or rods, likely a surveyor or builder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,752 Americans carry the last name Stanger. That puts it at #9,503 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,352 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stanger 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 Stanger with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 91,352
Census rank
#9,503
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,272 bearers of the surname Stanger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9503rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stanger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stanger
The surname Stanger has its origins in the Middle English words 'strang' and 'strangere', derived from the Old French 'estrange' meaning foreign or alien. It is believed to have originated in England in the 13th century and was likely given as a descriptive name to someone who was perceived as a stranger or from a foreign land.
The earliest recorded example of the surname Stanger can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, where it is listed as 'Strangere'. This suggests that the name was already in use and established by this time. The Hundred Rolls were a series of administrative records compiled in England during the reign of King Edward I.
In the late 13th century, the surname Stanger appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1297, where it was recorded as 'Strangere'. These rolls were tax records used to collect subsidies for the king's military campaigns.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Stanger was William Stanger, who was mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Wiltshire in 1332. These rolls were tax records used to raise funds for the king's wars against France and Scotland.
In the 15th century, the surname Stanger appeared in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence between members of the Paston family in Norfolk, England. In a letter dated 1454, a John Stanger is mentioned as being involved in a legal dispute over land ownership.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Sir Nicholas Stanger, a Member of Parliament for Salisbury in the mid-16th century. He was born around 1520 and served as an MP during the reigns of Edward VI and Mary I.
During the 17th century, the surname Stanger was found in various parish records across England, including in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Somerset. One such record from 1635 in Gloucestershire mentions the baptism of a child named Thomas Stanger.
In the 18th century, the surname Stanger was also found in Scotland, where it is believed to have been introduced by English immigrants. One notable bearer was James Stanger, a Scottish philosopher and author born in 1720, who published works on moral philosophy and natural theology.
Throughout its history, the surname Stanger has been associated with various place names and locations, such as Stanger in Derbyshire, Stanger Hill in Oxfordshire, and Stanger Farm in Somerset. These places may have derived their names from early bearers of the Stanger surname who settled or owned land in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stanger
Among Census respondents with the surname Stanger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Stanger 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 Stanger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 3,008
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 99
- Two or more races2.4% · 77
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 23
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stanger
Stanger 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
#8,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,688
+407 bearers (+12.4%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Up 262 places
2020
#9,503
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,272
-416 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 625 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,140 | 3,281 | 1.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,878 | 3,688 | 1.25 | +407 bearers (+12.4%) | Up 262 places |
| 2020 | #9,503 | 3,272 | 1.09 | -416 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 625 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 Stanger 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 | #8,878 | #9,503 | -7.0% |
| Count | 3,688 | 3,272 | -11.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.25 | 1.09 | -12.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stanger bearers went from 3,688 to 3,272 (-11.3% change). The surname moved down 625 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,878 to #9,503.
FAQ
Stanger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stanger?
Name Census estimates that about 3,752 living Americans carry the surname Stanger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,352 residents.
How common is Stanger?
Stanger ranks #9,503 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,272 people with the surname Stanger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,752), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Stanger.
Has Stanger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stanger went from 3,688 recorded bearers to 3,272. That is a decrease of 416 (-11.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,878 to #9,503.
What does the Census say about the background of Stanger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stanger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Stanger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (3,008 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stanger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Stanger (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 Stanger mean?
An occupational surname for someone who lived near or worked with poles or rods, likely a surveyor or builder. 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 Stanger (1.09 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 Stanger?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.