2000
#79,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 222
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Stapelton
A locational surname derived from a place named Stapleton in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Stapelton. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stapelton 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 Stapelton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Stapelton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stapelton, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Hispanic (7.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stapelton
The surname Stapelton is of Anglo-Saxon origin and dates back to the 11th century. It is believed to have originated from the village of Stapleton in Shropshire, England. The name is derived from the Old English words "stapol" meaning post or pillar, and "tun" meaning enclosure or settlement.
Stapelton is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror. This early record suggests that the name was already established in England during the Norman Conquest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is Walter de Stapleton, who was born around 1261 in Stapleton, Shropshire. He served as a knight and held lands in Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire.
In the 13th century, the Stapelton family played a significant role in the Wars of Scottish Independence. Sir Miles Stapleton (c. 1285 - 1364) was a prominent military commander who fought alongside Edward I and Edward II against the Scots.
Another notable figure was Sir Brian Stapleton (c. 1366 - 1438), who served as treasurer to King Henry IV and was involved in suppressing the Lollard heresy.
During the 16th century, the Stapletons were established in County Durham, where they held the manor of Witton-le-Wear. Sir Robert Stapleton (1595 - 1669) was a Member of Parliament and a staunch Royalist during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, Thomas Stapleton (1696 - 1768) was a Catholic historian and controversialist who wrote extensively on the history of the Catholic Church in England.
The Stapelton surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Stapleton in Gloucestershire, Stapleton in Leicestershire, and Stapleton Hill in Bristol, which were likely named after early settlers with the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stapelton
Among Census respondents with the surname Stapelton, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Hispanic (7.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Stapelton 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 Stapelton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.9% · 89
- Black or African American8.2% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino7.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stapelton
Stapelton 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
#113,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 154
-68 bearers (-30.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 34,115 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-44 bearers (-28.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 35,655 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #79,676 | 222 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #113,791 | 154 | 0.05 | -68 bearers (-30.6%) | Down 34,115 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -44 bearers (-28.6%) | Down 35,655 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 Stapelton 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 | #113,791 | #149,446 | -31.3% |
| Count | 154 | 110 | -28.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -26.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stapelton bearers went from 154 to 110 (-28.6% change). The surname moved down 35,655 positions in the national ranking, going from #113,791 to #149,446.
FAQ
Stapelton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stapelton?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Stapelton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Stapelton?
Stapelton ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Stapelton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Stapelton.
Has Stapelton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stapelton went from 154 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 44 (-28.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #113,791 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Stapelton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stapelton, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Hispanic (7.3%). 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 Stapelton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.9% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stapelton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.9%), Black (8.2%), Hispanic (7.3%). 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 Stapelton (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 Stapelton mean?
A locational surname derived from a place named Stapleton in England. 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 Stapelton (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 Stapelton?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.