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

Stark, 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 Stark surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Stark in America

Stark is the 827th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Stark surname appeared 41,735 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 14 people would have the surname Stark.

We can also compare 2010 data for Stark 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 Stark

The surname STARK originates from the northern German state of Lower Saxony during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Germanic word "stark" which means strong, vigorous or powerful. The name likely started as a nickname or an occupational name for someone of formidable strength or character.

In the 11th century, the surname STARK appeared in various records across northern Germany and the Low Countries. The earliest known record is from 1066 when a knight named Æthelric Stark fought at the Battle of Hastings alongside William the Conqueror. This name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Starka de Norfolc, indicating a possible Norman origin.

The STARK name spread across Europe during the Middle Ages, with variations such as Starck, Sterk, and Sterck found in Dutch and Flemish regions. In the 14th century, Johannes Stark, a German mercenary captain, is recorded as leading troops in the Hundred Years' War.

By the 16th century, the STARK surname had become well-established in England. Sir Thomas Stark (1505-1585) was an English merchant and philanthropist who founded Stark's Charity in London. Another notable bearer was John Stark (1728-1822), an American Revolutionary War general who fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Battle of Bennington.

Other famous individuals with the STARK surname include Fremont Stark (1853-1938), an American businessman and founder of the Stark Brick Company, and Sir Walter Stark (1875-1962), a British colonial administrator who served as Governor of Sindh in British India from 1923 to 1928.

In the literary world, the surname is perhaps most famously associated with the House Stark in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels, although the author has stated that he did not intend any direct connection to the surname's historical origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Stark

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

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

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

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