2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Starky
A surname derived from a nickname for a person having a strong or vigorous disposition.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Starky. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Starky 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Starky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Starky, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Starky
The surname Starky is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a variant of the name Stark, which is derived from the Old English word "stearc," meaning "stiff" or "rigid." This name may have been initially used as a nickname for someone with a stern or unyielding personality.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Starky can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the 13th century, where a person named Robert Starky is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time in the northern regions of England.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various records from the county of Lancashire, including the Lancashire Inquests and the Wills and Inventories of the Archdeaconry of Richmond. This indicates that the name was well-established in that area during the medieval period.
One notable individual bearing the name Starky was Sir Humphrey Starky (c. 1497-1548), who served as the Chief Baron of the Exchequer during the reign of Henry VIII. He was born in Oldhall, Lancashire, and played a significant role in the administration of the Tudor monarchy.
Another early bearer of the name was Thomas Starky (c. 1499-1538), an English scholar and humanist who studied at Oxford and was part of the intellectual circle surrounding Thomas More. He is known for his work "A Dialogue between Pole and Lupset," which discussed the political and religious issues of the time.
In the 17th century, John Starky (1628-1662) was a notable English clergyman and author. He was born in Lancashire and became the Rector of Swine in Yorkshire. He wrote several religious works, including "The Doctrine of the Resurrection."
During the 18th century, the name Starky was associated with the village of Starkey in Cheshire, which may have derived its name from the same Old English root. This suggests a possible connection between the surname and this particular place name.
Throughout its history, the surname Starky has been subject to various spellings, such as Starkie, Starkey, and Starky. These variations reflect the phonetic adaptations and regional influences that surnames often underwent over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Starky
Among Census respondents with the surname Starky, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Starky 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 Starky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.5% · 86
- Black or African American12.6% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 3
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Starky
Starky 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
#108,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 163
+33 bearers (+25.4%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 13,800 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-52 bearers (-31.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 39,931 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #108,734 | 163 | 0.06 | +33 bearers (+25.4%) | Up 13,800 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -52 bearers (-31.9%) | Down 39,931 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 Starky 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 | #108,734 | #148,665 | -36.7% |
| Count | 163 | 111 | -31.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.04 | -38.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Starky bearers went from 163 to 111 (-31.9% change). The surname moved down 39,931 positions in the national ranking, going from #108,734 to #148,665.
FAQ
Starky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Starky?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Starky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Starky?
Starky ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Starky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Starky.
Has Starky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Starky went from 163 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 52 (-31.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #108,734 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Starky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Starky, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Starky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.5% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Starky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.5%), Black (12.6%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Starky (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 Starky mean?
A surname derived from a nickname for a person having a strong or vigorous disposition. 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 Starky (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 many people have the surname Starky?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.