2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Steets
English topographic surname denoting someone living by a road or street.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Steets. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Steets 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Steets in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Steets, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Steets
The surname STEETS is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from the term "Stette," which referred to a small town or hamlet. This name likely originated in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where such settlements were common.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the STEETS surname dates back to 1327, in the town records of Nuremberg. A certain "Johannes Stette" is listed as a resident of the city, suggesting that the name had already taken its modern spelling by that time.
In the late 15th century, the STEETS name appeared in the records of the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial alliance of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe. A merchant named Hans STEETS is mentioned as having traded goods between the cities of Lübeck and Hamburg.
The STEETS surname can also be traced to various place names throughout Germany, such as Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland), and Stetten, a town located in Baden-Württemberg. It is possible that some families adopted the name based on their place of origin or residence.
One notable figure in history bearing the STEETS surname was Johann STEETS (1549-1605), a German theologian and Protestant reformer. He played a significant role in the Reformation movement in the city of Nuremberg and authored several works on theology and biblical exegesis.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Karl STEETS (1789-1862), a Prussian military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars. He rose to the rank of Major General and was awarded the prestigious Iron Cross for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
In the realm of literature, August STEETS (1868-1942) was a German poet and novelist known for his works depicting rural life and the beauty of nature. His collection of poems, "Dorfgeschichten" (Village Stories), received critical acclaim and contributed to the literary movement of Heimatdichtung (regional literature).
The STEETS surname also gained recognition in the field of science with the contributions of Wilhelm STEETS (1901-1988), a German physicist and pioneer in the study of nuclear fission. His research played a crucial role in the development of nuclear energy and earned him numerous accolades from the scientific community.
Finally, in the world of music, the name STEETS is associated with Hans STEETS (1917-2003), a German conductor and composer. He served as the principal conductor of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra and composed several orchestral works, including concertos and symphonies, which were widely performed throughout Germany and Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Steets
Among Census respondents with the surname Steets, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Steets 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 Steets surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 6
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Steets
Steets 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
+5 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,210 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-12 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,901 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 4,210 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 12,901 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 Steets 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 | #130,610 | #143,511 | -9.9% |
| Count | 130 | 118 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Steets bearers went from 130 to 118 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 12,901 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #143,511.
FAQ
Steets surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Steets?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Steets. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Steets?
Steets ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 118 people with the surname Steets. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Steets.
Has Steets become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Steets went from 130 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Steets?
Among Census respondents with the surname Steets, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Steets in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Steets appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Steets (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 Steets mean?
English topographic surname denoting someone living by a road or street. 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 Steets (0.04 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 surname Steets?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.