2000
#2,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,844
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.13
Uncommon Last name
Starnes
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "stern" or "severe," likely referring to a stern-looking landscape.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,265 Americans carry the last name Starnes. That puts it at #2,644 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,454 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Starnes 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Starnes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,454
Census rank
#2,644
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,312 bearers of the surname Starnes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2644th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Starnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Starnes
The surname Starnes is of English origin and is derived from the Old English word "stær," meaning a starling or small bird. It is believed to have originated as a nickname for someone who had a resemblance to or an affinity with starlings.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Starnling" in Berkshire. This suggests that the name was already in use during the 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name was recorded as "Starne" in the Assize Court Rolls of Yorkshire. Other early spellings include "Sterne" and "Sterneling," which are found in various medieval records from different parts of England.
One notable bearer of the surname was Sir William Starnes (c. 1450-1521), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Derbyshire during the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII.
Another historical figure with the name was John Starnes (1565-1626), a clergyman who served as the Bishop of Carlisle from 1617 until his death.
In the 17th century, the name appeared as "Starns" in the parish records of St. Giles, Cripplegate, London, where Robert Starns and his wife Elizabeth were listed as having a son named John in 1653.
During the 18th century, the spelling "Starnes" became more prevalent, as evidenced by the birth of Thomas Starnes in 1712 in Gloucestershire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Starnes surname in America can be found in the Virginia colonial records, where a John Starnes is mentioned as a landowner in Henrico County in 1679.
In the 19th century, notable bearers of the surname included William Starnes (1810-1876), an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Representative from Ohio, and James Starnes (1845-1911), a Confederate soldier during the American Civil War who later became a farmer and state legislator in North Carolina.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Starnes
Among Census respondents with the surname Starnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Starnes 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 Starnes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.6% · 11,262
- Black or African American7.7% · 1,019
- Two or more races3.9% · 515
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 392
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 56
Timeline
Historical Census data for Starnes
Starnes 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
#2,507
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,442
+598 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 4.90
Rank movement Down 107 places
2020
#2,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,312
-1,130 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 4.45
Rank movement Down 137 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,400 | 13,844 | 5.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,507 | 14,442 | 4.90 | +598 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 107 places |
| 2020 | #2,644 | 13,312 | 4.45 | -1,130 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 137 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 Starnes 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 | #2,507 | #2,644 | -5.5% |
| Count | 14,442 | 13,312 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.90 | 4.45 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Starnes bearers went from 14,442 to 13,312 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 137 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,507 to #2,644.
FAQ
Starnes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Starnes?
Name Census estimates that about 15,265 living Americans carry the surname Starnes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,454 residents.
How common is Starnes?
Starnes ranks #2,644 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.45 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,312 people with the surname Starnes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,265), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.45 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Starnes.
Has Starnes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Starnes went from 14,442 recorded bearers to 13,312. That is a decrease of 1,130 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,507 to #2,644.
What does the Census say about the background of Starnes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Starnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Starnes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.6% (11,262 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Starnes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.6%), Black (7.7%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Starnes (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 Starnes mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "stern" or "severe," likely referring to a stern-looking landscape. 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 Starnes (4.45 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 Americans have the surname Starnes?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.