2000
#10,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,833
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Stansell
Derived from a place name meaning "stone shelter" or "stone house" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,938 Americans carry the last name Stansell. That puts it at #11,698 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,662 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stansell 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
2.9K
1 in 116,662
Census rank
#11,698
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,562 bearers of the surname Stansell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11698th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stansell, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Black (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stansell
The surname Stansell is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, during the 12th or 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "stan" meaning stone and "sæl" meaning hall or dwelling, suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a stone house or a house built with stone.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Stansell can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk from the late 13th century, where it appears as "Stansale." This document contains records of land holdings and taxation, indicating that individuals with this surname were likely landowners or tenants at the time.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms, such as "Stansell," "Stansill," and "Stansale," in various parish records and court rolls from Norfolk and Suffolk. These variations in spelling were common during this period due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
One notable individual with the surname Stansell was John Stansell, who lived in the late 16th century and was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Norwich. Records from the Norwich Corporation show that he served as a city alderman and was involved in local governance.
Another significant figure was William Stansell, born in 1602 in Norfolk, who was a Puritan minister and a member of the Westminster Assembly, a influential body that helped shape the doctrine and governance of the Church of England during the English Civil War.
In the 17th century, the name Stansell also appears in various parish records and wills from the counties of Essex and Hertfordshire, indicating that the surname had spread to other parts of England by this time.
One individual of note was Thomas Stansell, born in 1634 in Essex, who was a successful merchant and landowner. He is recorded as having owned several properties in the area and was a prominent member of the local community.
Another notable figure was John Stansell, born in 1675 in Hertfordshire, who was a scholar and clergyman. He attended Cambridge University and later became a rector in the Church of England, serving in various parishes in the county.
While the Stansell surname is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of English heritage, with its origins rooted in the medieval period and tied to the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stansell
Among Census respondents with the surname Stansell, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Black (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Stansell 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 Stansell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 2,253
- Two or more races4.5% · 115
- Black or African American4.3% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 69
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stansell
Stansell 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
#11,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,813
-20 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 815 places
2020
#11,698
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,562
-251 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 462 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,421 | 2,833 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,236 | 2,813 | 0.95 | -20 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 815 places |
| 2020 | #11,698 | 2,562 | 0.86 | -251 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 462 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 Stansell 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 | #11,236 | #11,698 | -4.1% |
| Count | 2,813 | 2,562 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.86 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stansell bearers went from 2,813 to 2,562 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 462 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,236 to #11,698.
FAQ
Stansell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stansell?
Name Census estimates that about 2,938 living Americans carry the surname Stansell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,662 residents.
How common is Stansell?
Stansell ranks #11,698 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,562 people with the surname Stansell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,938), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Stansell.
Has Stansell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stansell went from 2,813 recorded bearers to 2,562. That is a decrease of 251 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,236 to #11,698.
What does the Census say about the background of Stansell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stansell, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Black (4.3%). 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 Stansell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (2,253 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stansell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Black (4.3%). 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 Stansell (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 Stansell mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "stone shelter" or "stone house" 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 Stansell (0.86 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 Stansell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.