2000
#30,614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 719
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.27
Very Rare Last name
Stavropoulos
A Greek surname meaning "cross-maker" or referring to someone from the city of Stavropol.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 944 Americans carry the last name Stavropoulos. That puts it at #30,403 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 363,087 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stavropoulos 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
944
1 in 363,087
Census rank
#30,403
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
823
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 823 bearers of the surname Stavropoulos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30403rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stavropoulos, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stavropoulos
The surname Stavropoulos originates from Greece and dates back to the Byzantine era. It is derived from the Greek words "stavros" meaning "cross" and "poulos" meaning "son" or "child." The name can be traced back to the 9th or 10th century, when it was likely given to individuals who lived near a church or monastery dedicated to the Holy Cross.
One of the earliest known references to the name appears in a manuscript from the Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos, dated around 1050 AD. The manuscript mentions a monk named Stavropoulos who was a calligrapher and scribe.
In the 12th century, there are records of a noble family named Stavropoulos from the island of Crete. This family was known for their involvement in the Venetian-Byzantine wars and their support of the Byzantine Empire.
During the Ottoman era, the name Stavropoulos became more widespread among Greek families, particularly in regions such as Macedonia and Thrace. Many villages and towns in these areas had churches dedicated to the Holy Cross, which may have contributed to the popularity of the name.
One notable figure with the surname Stavropoulos was Ioannis Stavropoulos (1785-1860), a Greek scholar and educator who played a significant role in the Greek Enlightenment. He established schools and published works on Greek literature and philosophy.
Another prominent individual was Konstantinos Stavropoulos (1875-1945), a Greek military officer and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Greece for a brief period in 1945.
In the 20th century, Michalis Stavropoulos (1910-1992) was a renowned Greek composer and musician who wrote scores for numerous films and theater productions.
Alexandros Stavropoulos (1926-2013) was a Greek-American mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the field of numerical analysis and the development of programming languages.
More recently, Konstantinos Stavropoulos (born 1971) is a Greek politician and lawyer who has served as a member of the European Parliament since 2014.
While the surname Stavropoulos has its roots in ancient Greece, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly among Greek diaspora communities. However, its origins and connection to the Greek Orthodox tradition remain a significant part of its history and cultural significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stavropoulos
Among Census respondents with the surname Stavropoulos, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Stavropoulos 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 Stavropoulos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 771
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 22
- Two or more races2.3% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 9
- Black or African American0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stavropoulos
Stavropoulos 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
#28,998
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 819
+100 bearers (+13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Up 1,616 places
2020
#30,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 823
+4 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Down 1,405 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,614 | 719 | 0.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,998 | 819 | 0.28 | +100 bearers (+13.9%) | Up 1,616 places |
| 2020 | #30,403 | 823 | 0.28 | +4 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 1,405 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 Stavropoulos 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 | #28,998 | #30,403 | -4.8% |
| Count | 819 | 823 | 0.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.28 | 0.28 | -1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stavropoulos bearers went from 819 to 823 (+0.5% change). The surname moved down 1,405 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,998 to #30,403.
FAQ
Stavropoulos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stavropoulos?
Name Census estimates that about 944 living Americans carry the surname Stavropoulos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 363,087 residents.
How common is Stavropoulos?
Stavropoulos ranks #30,403 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.28 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 823 people with the surname Stavropoulos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (944), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.28 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 Stavropoulos.
Has Stavropoulos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stavropoulos went from 819 recorded bearers to 823. That is an increase of 4 (+0.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #28,998 to #30,403.
What does the Census say about the background of Stavropoulos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stavropoulos, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Stavropoulos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (771 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stavropoulos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Stavropoulos (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 Stavropoulos mean?
A Greek surname meaning "cross-maker" or referring to someone from the city of Stavropol. 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 Stavropoulos (0.28 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 last name Stavropoulos?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Stavropoulos, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.