2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Starkson
Denoting the son of someone with the descriptive surname "Stark", which means strong or vigorous.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Starkson. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Starkson 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Starkson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Starkson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Starkson
The surname Starkson has its origins in the Nordic countries, particularly in regions that were part of the ancient Viking civilization. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 10th or 11th century.
Starkson is a patronymic surname, meaning it was derived from the name of a father or ancestor. The root of the name is likely the Old Norse word "starkr," which translates to "strong" or "vigorous." This suggests that the name may have originally been given to someone who possessed exceptional strength or a powerful physique.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Starkson can be found in various historical documents and records from Scandinavia, such as the Icelandic Sagas and Norwegian land registries. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Thorvald Starkson, a prominent Norwegian chieftain who lived in the late 10th century.
In England, the surname Starkson appeared after the Norman Conquest of 1066, when many Scandinavian settlers arrived in the country. One notable figure bearing this name was Olaf Starkson, a Danish warrior who fought alongside William the Conqueror and was granted lands in Yorkshire.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the Starkson surname continued to be found in various parts of Europe, often associated with individuals of Scandinavian descent. In the 13th century, a man named Erik Starkson was recorded as a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Bergen, Norway.
During the Renaissance period, the Starkson name appeared in several literary works and historical accounts. In the 16th century, a Dutch explorer named Willem Starkson was known for his voyages to the East Indies and his detailed accounts of the region.
As the centuries passed, the Starkson surname spread across different countries and regions, with notable bearers emerging in various fields. In the 18th century, a Swedish scientist named Carl Starkson made significant contributions to the field of botany, documenting and cataloging numerous plant species.
In the 19th century, a British novelist named Emily Starkson gained literary acclaim for her works exploring themes of social inequality and the plight of women in Victorian society. Meanwhile, in the United States, a businessman named John Starkson played a pivotal role in the development of the steel industry in Pittsburgh.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have carried the surname Starkson, a name that has its roots in the rich cultural heritage of the Vikings and the Nordic regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Starkson
Among Census respondents with the surname Starkson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Starkson 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 Starkson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 107
- Black or African American5.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Starkson
Starkson 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-12 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 23,159 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+14 bearers (+14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 14,480 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 23,159 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+14.0%) | Up 14,480 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 Starkson 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 | #160,975 | #146,495 | 9.0% |
| Count | 100 | 114 | 14.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Starkson bearers went from 100 to 114 (+14.0% change). The surname moved up 14,480 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #146,495.
FAQ
Starkson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Starkson?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Starkson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Starkson?
Starkson ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Starkson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Starkson.
Has Starkson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Starkson went from 100 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 14 (+14.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Starkson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Starkson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Starkson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Starkson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Black (5.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Starkson (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 Starkson mean?
Denoting the son of someone with the descriptive surname "Stark", which means strong or vigorous. 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 Starkson (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 common is the surname Starkson?
Find out how many people have the surname Starkson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.