2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Starkloff
A surname of German origin derived from the words 'stark' meaning strong and 'loff' representing praise or esteem.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Starkloff. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Starkloff 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
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Starkloff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Starkloff, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.1%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Starkloff
The surname Starkloff is of German origin, with records indicating its emergence during the 16th century. It likely originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The name is a compound word derived from the Middle High German terms "sterke" meaning "strong" and "lof" meaning "praise" or "glory," suggesting it may have been initially bestowed upon an individual celebrated for their physical strength or valor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Starkloff name can be found in the Palatinate region of what is now modern-day Germany. In 1572, a document from the town of Neustadt an der Weinstraße mentions a certain Hans Starkloff, a wealthy merchant and landowner. This indicates that the name had already established itself in the area by the late 16th century.
During the 17th century, the Starkloff name appears to have spread across various parts of Central Europe. In 1632, a military record from the Thirty Years' War mentions a soldier named Jakob Starkloff serving in the Imperial Army. Additionally, church records from the city of Nürnberg in 1678 document the birth of a child to parents with the surname Starkloff.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the name continued to be prominent in various German-speaking regions. Notable individuals bearing the Starkloff surname include Johann Starkloff (1771-1846), a renowned clockmaker from the town of Triberg in the Black Forest region, and Wilhelm Starkloff (1837-1912), a respected educator and school administrator from Heidelberg.
As German immigration to other parts of the world increased in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Starkloff name began to appear in records outside of Europe. One notable example is Gustav Starkloff (1879-1956), a German-American architect who designed several notable buildings in St. Louis, Missouri, including the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France.
Another figure of note is Friedrich Starkloff (1890-1976), a German-born American engineer who played a significant role in the development of early aviation technology, contributing to the design of aircraft engines and propellers for companies like Curtiss-Wright and Pratt & Whitney.
While the Starkloff name remains relatively uncommon globally, it has left a lasting legacy in various fields, from craftsmanship and education to architecture and engineering, reflecting the diverse contributions of those who have borne this distinctive German surname over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Starkloff
Among Census respondents with the surname Starkloff, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.1%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Starkloff 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 Starkloff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.1% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Starkloff
Starkloff appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-8 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 2,500 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 2,500 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 Starkloff 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 | #153,769 | #156,269 | -1.6% |
| Count | 106 | 98 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Starkloff bearers went from 106 to 98 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 2,500 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #156,269.
FAQ
Starkloff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Starkloff?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Starkloff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Starkloff?
Starkloff ranks #156,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 98 people with the surname Starkloff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Starkloff.
Has Starkloff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Starkloff went from 106 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #153,769 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Starkloff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Starkloff, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.1%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Starkloff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Starkloff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.1%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Starkloff (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 Starkloff mean?
A surname of German origin derived from the words 'stark' meaning strong and 'loff' representing praise or esteem. 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 Starkloff (0.03 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 Starkloff?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.