2000
#7,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,336
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.61
Rare Last name
Stedman
An occupational surname for a person who managed or worked at a farmstead or estate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,656 Americans carry the last name Stedman. That puts it at #7,834 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,616 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stedman 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 Stedman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 73,616
Census rank
#7,834
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,060 bearers of the surname Stedman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7834th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stedman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stedman
The surname STEDMAN is of English origin, arising in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words "stede" meaning place or farm, and "man" referring to an inhabitant. The name initially referred to someone who lived on or worked at a farm or estate.
In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared as Stedeman and Steddeman in 13th century records from counties like Norfolk and Suffolk in eastern England. Variations like Stidman and Studman also emerged over time. Similar place names that may have contributed to the surname include Stede in Suffolk and Stidham in Oxfordshire.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William Stedeman, recorded in the Hundredorum Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1279. The Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297 mention a John Stedeman as a taxpayer.
By the 14th century, examples of the surname can be found across England. The Poll Tax records of 1381 list a Thomas Stedeman in Bedfordshire and a Robert Stedeman in Buckinghamshire. A John Stedman is recorded in the Register of the Freemen of York in 1399.
Notable historical figures with this surname include Edmund Stedman (c.1494-1558), a Protestant reformer and Bishop of Peterborough during the English Reformation. John Gabriel Stedman (1744-1797) was a British-Dutch soldier and author who wrote a famous narrative about his experiences in Suriname.
Other prominent individuals bearing this name were Thomas Stedman (1618-1668), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons, and John Stedman (1744-1825), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. Charles Stedman (1753-1812) was an English engraver and author known for his works on architecture and geography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stedman
Among Census respondents with the surname Stedman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Stedman 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 Stedman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 3,642
- Two or more races3.4% · 140
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 117
- Black or African American2.3% · 92
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stedman
Stedman 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
#7,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,576
+240 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 178 places
2020
#7,834
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,060
-516 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 552 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,104 | 4,336 | 1.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,282 | 4,576 | 1.55 | +240 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 178 places |
| 2020 | #7,834 | 4,060 | 1.36 | -516 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 552 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 Stedman 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 | #7,282 | #7,834 | -7.6% |
| Count | 4,576 | 4,060 | -11.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.55 | 1.36 | -12.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stedman bearers went from 4,576 to 4,060 (-11.3% change). The surname moved down 552 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,282 to #7,834.
FAQ
Stedman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stedman?
Name Census estimates that about 4,656 living Americans carry the surname Stedman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,616 residents.
How common is Stedman?
Stedman ranks #7,834 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,060 people with the surname Stedman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,656), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Stedman.
Has Stedman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stedman went from 4,576 recorded bearers to 4,060. That is a decrease of 516 (-11.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,282 to #7,834.
What does the Census say about the background of Stedman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stedman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Stedman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (3,642 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stedman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Stedman (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 Stedman mean?
An occupational surname for a person who managed or worked at a farmstead or estate. 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 Stedman (1.36 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 Stedman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.