2000
#110,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 148
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Stankewitz
A topographic surname meaning "the dweller from a marshy area".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Stankewitz. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stankewitz 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Stankewitz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stankewitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.9%) and Two or More Races (10.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stankewitz
The surname Stankewitz originated in Germany. It is a locational name that derived from the town of Stankewitz, which is located in the state of Saxony. The name is believed to have first appeared in historical records in the late 16th century.
The name Stankewitz is thought to be derived from the German word "stank", which means "stick" or "pole". This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a boundary marker or a signpost.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Stankewitz appears in the church records of the town of Stankewitz itself, where a man named Johann Stankewitz was listed as a resident in 1598.
In the 17th century, the name Stankewitz can be found in various German census records and legal documents. For example, a man named Hans Stankewitz was listed as a landowner in the town of Zwickau in 1637.
A notable bearer of the name was Friedrich Stankewitz, a German composer who lived from 1761 to 1829. He is best known for his works for the church and his contributions to the development of sacred music in Germany.
Another prominent figure with the surname Stankewitz was Karl Stankewitz, a German politician who served as a member of the Reichstag (the German parliament) from 1890 to 1903. He was born in 1846 and died in 1907.
In the early 20th century, a man named Otto Stankewitz gained recognition as a pioneering aviator in Germany. He was born in 1878 and became one of the first pilots to fly a powered aircraft in the country.
A notable academic who bore the name Stankewitz was Gerhard Stankewitz, a German historian and scholar who specialized in the study of medieval Europe. He was born in 1920 and made significant contributions to the understanding of the social and cultural history of the Middle Ages.
As the surname Stankewitz spread beyond Germany, it can also be found in other European countries, such as Poland and Russia, where it likely arrived through migration and intermarriage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stankewitz
Among Census respondents with the surname Stankewitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.9%) and Two or More Races (10.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Stankewitz 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 Stankewitz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.6% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino10.9% · 13
- Two or more races10.1% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.0% · 6
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stankewitz
Stankewitz 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
#124,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
-10 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 14,025 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-19 bearers (-13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,240 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #110,523 | 148 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #124,548 | 138 | 0.05 | -10 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 14,025 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-13.8%) | Down 18,240 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 Stankewitz 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 | #124,548 | #142,788 | -14.6% |
| Count | 138 | 119 | -13.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stankewitz bearers went from 138 to 119 (-13.8% change). The surname moved down 18,240 positions in the national ranking, going from #124,548 to #142,788.
FAQ
Stankewitz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stankewitz?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Stankewitz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Stankewitz?
Stankewitz ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Stankewitz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Stankewitz.
Has Stankewitz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stankewitz went from 138 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 19 (-13.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #124,548 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Stankewitz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stankewitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.9%) and Two or More Races (10.1%). 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 Stankewitz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.6% (84 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stankewitz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.6%), Hispanic (10.9%), Two or More Races (10.1%). 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 Stankewitz (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 Stankewitz mean?
A topographic surname meaning "the dweller from a marshy area". 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 Stankewitz (0.04 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 surname Stankewitz?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.