Find out how popular the last name Stapleton is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Stapleton.

Stapleton, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Stapleton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Stapleton in America

Stapleton is the 1973rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Stapleton surname appeared 18,332 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Stapleton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Stapleton to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Stapleton

The surname Stapleton is an English habitational name derived from the Old English words "stapol" meaning a post or pillar, and "tun" meaning a farm or settlement. This suggests that the name originated from someone who lived near a prominent post or boundary marker.

The name can be traced back to the 11th century and the Norman Conquest of England. It is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions several places called Stapleton in various counties, including Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, and Leicestershire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1176, where a Richard de Stapleton is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already well-established by the 12th century.

In the 13th century, a prominent member of the Stapleton family was Sir Miles de Stapleton, who served as a knight and fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence under King Edward I. He was born around 1260 and died in 1314.

The Stapletons were a notable family in Yorkshire, and their ancestral seat was at Stapleton Park, near Pontefract. One of the most famous members of this branch was Sir Bryan Stapleton, who was born in 1335 and served as a military commander during the Hundred Years' War.

Another notable figure was Walter Stapleton, who was born in 1472 and served as the Bishop of Exeter and Lord Treasurer of England under King Henry VIII. He played a significant role in the English Reformation and the dissolution of monasteries.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Sir Philip Stapleton was a prominent Parliamentarian and served as a member of the Council of State. He was born in 1603 and died in 1647.

The Stapleton name has also been associated with various place names, such as Stapleton in Bristol, which was originally a separate village but is now a suburb of the city. The name has also been recorded in various spellings, such as Stapilton and Stapulton, in historical records.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Stapleton

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Stapleton.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Stapleton was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Stapleton has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Stapleton was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Stapleton, please contact us.

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