2000
#2,686
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,356
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.58
Uncommon Last name
Steen
A Dutch and Scandinavian surname derived from the word "stein," meaning "stone" or "rock."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,029 Americans carry the last name Steen. That puts it at #2,873 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,432 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Steen 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 Steen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,432
Census rank
#2,873
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,234 bearers of the surname Steen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2873rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Steen, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Steen
The surname Steen originated in the Netherlands and northern Germany during the medieval period. It is derived from the Dutch and Low German words steen or sten, meaning "stone." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a prominent stone landmark or worked as a stonemason or quarryman.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Steen appears in the 13th-century Dutch manuscript "Codex Diplomaticus Neerlandicus," which mentions a person named Henricus Steen in 1275. The name is also found in various medieval records from the German states of Lower Saxony and Westphalia, often spelled as Sten or Stene.
In the 16th century, the Steen surname was well-established in the Netherlands, particularly in the provinces of North Holland and South Holland. Notable individuals from this time include Jan Steen (1626-1679), a renowned Dutch Golden Age painter known for his genre scenes depicting everyday life.
The name also gained a foothold in England, likely through Dutch immigrants or trade connections. One of the earliest recorded examples is Thomas Steen, who was born in England in 1548 and served as a member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Steen surname spread to other parts of Europe and the Americas, often associated with Dutch or German settlers. One notable figure was Englebert Steen (1768-1825), a Dutch-born American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Representative from New York.
Other historical figures bearing the Steen surname include:
1. Margrieta Steen (1567-1638), a Dutch businesswoman and one of the first female entrepreneurs in the Dutch East Indies.
2. Jan Willemsz Steen (1599-1672), a Dutch Golden Age painter and one of the leading genre painters of the Dutch Republic.
3. Frederick Steen (1789-1856), a Norwegian-American pioneer and one of the first settlers in the area now known as Stoughton, Wisconsin.
4. Ida Marie Steen (1867-1951), a Norwegian actress and theater director who was a prominent figure in the early years of the National Theatre in Oslo.
5. Willem Steen (1873-1935), a Dutch architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Amsterdam and The Hague.
The surname Steen has a rich history rooted in the medieval Netherlands and northern Germany, with connections to the Dutch Golden Age and the early settlement of the Americas. Its meaning is closely tied to the concept of stone, reflecting the diverse occupations and backgrounds of those who bore this name throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Steen
Among Census respondents with the surname Steen, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Steen 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 Steen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.5% · 9,598
- Black or African American13.1% · 1,600
- Two or more races3.7% · 458
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 408
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 75
Timeline
Historical Census data for Steen
Steen 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
#2,776
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,989
+633 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 4.40
Rank movement Down 90 places
2020
#2,873
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,234
-755 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 4.09
Rank movement Down 97 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,686 | 12,356 | 4.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,776 | 12,989 | 4.40 | +633 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 90 places |
| 2020 | #2,873 | 12,234 | 4.09 | -755 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 97 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 Steen 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 | #2,776 | #2,873 | -3.5% |
| Count | 12,989 | 12,234 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.40 | 4.09 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Steen bearers went from 12,989 to 12,234 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 97 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,776 to #2,873.
FAQ
Steen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Steen?
Name Census estimates that about 14,029 living Americans carry the surname Steen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,432 residents.
How common is Steen?
Steen ranks #2,873 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.09 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 12,234 people with the surname Steen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,029), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.09 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 Steen.
Has Steen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Steen went from 12,989 recorded bearers to 12,234. That is a decrease of 755 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,776 to #2,873.
What does the Census say about the background of Steen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Steen, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Steen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.5% (9,598 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Steen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.5%), Black (13.1%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Steen (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 Steen mean?
A Dutch and Scandinavian surname derived from the word "stein," meaning "stone" or "rock." 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 Steen (4.09 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 Steen?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Steen, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.