2000
#8,355
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,641
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.35
Rare Last name
Stansberry
Derived from a place name meaning "stone hill" or "stony hill" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,980 Americans carry the last name Stansberry. That puts it at #9,033 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,119 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stansberry 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
4.0K
1 in 86,119
Census rank
#9,033
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,471 bearers of the surname Stansberry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9033rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stansberry, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stansberry
The surname Stansberry originated in England, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to be a locational name derived from a place called Stanbury, which is located in West Yorkshire, England. The place name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "stan" meaning stone and "burg" meaning fort or fortified place, suggesting that the name may have originated from a settlement with a stone fortification.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Stansberry can be found in the parish records of Calverley, West Yorkshire, in 1598, where a man named John Stansberry was mentioned. Another early reference to the name comes from the Yorkshire Protestation Returns of 1641/42, which lists several individuals with the surname Stansberry, including William Stansberry from Keighley and Richard Stansberry from Bradford.
In the 17th century, the Stansberry family appeared to have connections to the textile industry in the Yorkshire region. A notable figure from this time was John Stansberry (1640-1703), a successful wool merchant from Bradford who owned several mills and properties in the area.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 18th and 19th centuries, many members of the Stansberry family likely migrated to other parts of England and beyond in search of employment opportunities. One such individual was William Stansberry (1785-1861), a cotton manufacturer from Lancashire who established a successful textile business in the town of Burnley.
Another prominent figure with the surname Stansberry was Samuel Stansberry (1822-1898), a British politician and industrialist from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. He served as a Member of Parliament for the Huddersfield constituency from 1880 to 1892 and was also involved in the local wool and textile industries.
During the 19th century, the Stansberry surname also appeared to have spread to the United States, with individuals bearing the name settling in various parts of the country. One notable American with this surname was James Stansberry (1824-1897), a Civil War veteran from Pennsylvania who served in the Union Army and later became a successful businessman and landowner in Ohio.
Overall, the surname Stansberry has its roots in the historic regions of Yorkshire and Lancashire in England, where it was closely associated with the textile and manufacturing industries that played a significant role in the economic development of those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stansberry
Among Census respondents with the surname Stansberry, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Stansberry 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 Stansberry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.6% · 2,588
- Black or African American16.1% · 559
- Two or more races4.8% · 166
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 110
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stansberry
Stansberry 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
#8,747
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,750
+109 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 392 places
2020
#9,033
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,471
-279 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 286 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,355 | 3,641 | 1.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,747 | 3,750 | 1.27 | +109 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 392 places |
| 2020 | #9,033 | 3,471 | 1.16 | -279 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 286 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 Stansberry 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 | #8,747 | #9,033 | -3.3% |
| Count | 3,750 | 3,471 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.16 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stansberry bearers went from 3,750 to 3,471 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 286 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,747 to #9,033.
FAQ
Stansberry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stansberry?
Name Census estimates that about 3,980 living Americans carry the surname Stansberry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,119 residents.
How common is Stansberry?
Stansberry ranks #9,033 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 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 3,471 people with the surname Stansberry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,980), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 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 Stansberry.
Has Stansberry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stansberry went from 3,750 recorded bearers to 3,471. That is a decrease of 279 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,747 to #9,033.
What does the Census say about the background of Stansberry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stansberry, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Stansberry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.6% (2,588 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stansberry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.6%), Black (16.1%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Stansberry (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 Stansberry mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "stone hill" or "stony hill" in Old English. 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 Stansberry (1.16 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 Stansberry?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Stansberry on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.