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

Starbird, 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 Starbird surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Starbird in America

Starbird is the 31150th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Starbird surname appeared 745 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Starbird.

We can also compare 2010 data for Starbird 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 Starbird

The surname "Starbird" is an English name that originated in the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "stær," meaning "starling," and "bridd," meaning "bird." The name likely referred to someone who was associated with starlings or birds in some way, perhaps a bird catcher or a person who lived in an area with a large population of starlings.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various parish records and census documents from the 17th and 18th centuries. One of the earliest recorded examples is Thomas Starbird, who was born in Somerset, England, in 1623. Another early bearer of the name was John Starbird, born in Dorset, England, in 1675.

In the 19th century, the Starbird surname began to appear in various historical records in the United States, indicating that some families had emigrated from England to North America. One notable individual was William Starbird (1816-1894), a successful businessman and landowner in Maine.

Another early American bearer of the name was Samuel Starbird (1789-1857), a farmer and soldier from New Hampshire who served in the War of 1812. His descendants went on to become prominent members of their local communities.

In the late 19th century, the name appears in some place names, such as Starbird's Crossing in Tennessee, which was likely named after a local family or landowner with the Starbird surname.

Other notable individuals with the Starbird surname include:

1. George Starbird (1840-1913), a Union soldier during the American Civil War and later a successful businessman in Ohio.
2. Ethel Starbird (1876-1944), an American artist and illustrator known for her watercolor paintings of landscapes and still lifes.
3. Walter Starbird (1901-1985), a professor of mathematics at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a pioneer in the field of computer graphics.
4. Josephine Starbird (1912-2002), an American author and journalist who wrote several books on nature and wildlife.
5. Charles Starbird (1923-2018), a World War II veteran and recipient of the Silver Star for his bravery in combat.

The Starbird surname, while not particularly common, has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be found in various historical records and accounts across different regions of the English-speaking world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Starbird

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

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 Starbird 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 Starbird 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 Starbird was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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