2000
#6,653
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,685
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.74
Rare Last name
Steelman
An occupational surname for someone who worked with steel or was a steel manufacturer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,096 Americans carry the last name Steelman. That puts it at #7,239 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,259 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Steelman 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
5.1K
1 in 67,259
Census rank
#7,239
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,444 bearers of the surname Steelman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7239th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Steelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Steelman
The surname STEELMAN is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period in England. It is an occupational surname, derived from the Old English words "stæl" and "man," meaning a man who worked with steel or iron.
During the Middle Ages, the STEELMAN name was often associated with blacksmiths, armorers, and other metalworkers who crafted tools, weapons, and other implements from steel and iron. The name first appeared in historical records in the late 13th century, with one of the earliest known examples being William le Steelman, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of Kent in 1292.
As the STEELMAN name spread across England, it underwent various spelling variations, including Steelman, Stelman, Steelmon, and Stelmon. These variations reflect the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping during that era.
In the 14th century, the STEELMAN name gained prominence with the rise of the steel industry in England. One notable figure was John Steelman, a renowned blacksmith who lived in the town of Guildford, Surrey, in the late 1300s. His skilled craftsmanship earned him a reputation that extended beyond his local area.
The STEELMAN name also appeared in several historical documents from the 15th and 16th centuries. For instance, the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1665 recorded a John Steelman living in the village of Weston, Hertfordshire. Additionally, the Parish Registers of St. Mary's Church in Warwick listed the marriage of Thomas Steelman and Elizabeth Hawkins in 1587.
Another notable figure with the STEELMAN surname was Sir William Steelman, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in Oxfordshire in the early 17th century. He was known for his philanthropic efforts and his support of local communities.
As the centuries passed, the STEELMAN name continued to be associated with metalworking and the steel industry. In the 18th century, a family of STEELMANs owned and operated a successful ironworks in the town of Wolverhampton, Staffordshire.
Over time, the STEELMAN name spread across various regions of England and eventually migrated to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, as English settlers and immigrants established new communities abroad.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Steelman
Among Census respondents with the surname Steelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Steelman 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 Steelman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 3,886
- Two or more races5.0% · 220
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 176
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 68
- Black or African American1.5% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Steelman
Steelman 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
#6,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,964
+279 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Down 143 places
2020
#7,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,444
-520 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Down 443 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,653 | 4,685 | 1.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,796 | 4,964 | 1.68 | +279 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 143 places |
| 2020 | #7,239 | 4,444 | 1.49 | -520 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 443 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 Steelman 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 | #6,796 | #7,239 | -6.5% |
| Count | 4,964 | 4,444 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.68 | 1.49 | -11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Steelman bearers went from 4,964 to 4,444 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 443 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,796 to #7,239.
FAQ
Steelman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Steelman?
Name Census estimates that about 5,096 living Americans carry the surname Steelman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,259 residents.
How common is Steelman?
Steelman ranks #7,239 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.49 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 4,444 people with the surname Steelman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,096), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.49 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 Steelman.
Has Steelman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Steelman went from 4,964 recorded bearers to 4,444. That is a decrease of 520 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,796 to #7,239.
What does the Census say about the background of Steelman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Steelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Steelman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (3,886 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Steelman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Steelman (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 Steelman mean?
An occupational surname for someone who worked with steel or was a steel manufacturer. 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 Steelman (1.49 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 Steelman?
Want to know how many people have the surname Steelman? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.