2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Stefanoff
A surname of Bulgarian origin referring to someone who followed the Christian name Stefan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Stefanoff. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stefanoff 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Stefanoff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stefanoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stefanoff
The surname "STEFANOFF" is of Bulgarian origin and is believed to have emerged during the 14th century. It is derived from the Slavic personal name "Stefan," which means "crown" or "garland." The suffix "-off" or "-ov" is a common Slavic patronymic, indicating that the person is the son of someone named Stefan.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "STEFANOFF" can be found in a Bulgarian manuscript from the late 14th century, which mentions a certain "Petko Stefanoff" as a landowner in the region of Tarnovo, the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire at the time.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the name appears in various Ottoman tax registers and census records, indicating the presence of families bearing the surname "STEFANOFF" in various parts of the Balkans, particularly in the regions of present-day Bulgaria and North Macedonia.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the name was Ivan Stefanoff, a Bulgarian merchant and philanthropist who sponsored the construction of several churches and schools in the town of Gabrovo, which was a thriving center of trade and craftsmanship during that era.
Another prominent individual with the surname "STEFANOFF" was Georgi Stefanoff (1818-1897), a Bulgarian educator and writer who played a significant role in the Bulgarian National Revival movement and contributed to the development of modern Bulgarian literature and language.
In the 19th century, the name "STEFANOFF" was also associated with several notable figures in the struggle for Bulgarian independence from Ottoman rule. One such figure was Vasil Stefanoff (1832-1902), a revolutionary and military leader who participated in several uprisings against the Ottoman authorities.
As the Bulgarian nation-state emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname "STEFANOFF" became more widespread, with families bearing this name found in various regions of Bulgaria, as well as among Bulgarian communities in neighboring countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stefanoff
Among Census respondents with the surname Stefanoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Stefanoff 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 Stefanoff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.6% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino17.7% · 20
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stefanoff
Stefanoff 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+13 bearers (+11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,658 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-16 bearers (-12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,842 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+11.2%) | Up 2,658 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.4%) | Down 15,842 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 Stefanoff 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 | #131,379 | #147,221 | -12.1% |
| Count | 129 | 113 | -12.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stefanoff bearers went from 129 to 113 (-12.4% change). The surname moved down 15,842 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #147,221.
FAQ
Stefanoff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stefanoff?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Stefanoff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Stefanoff?
Stefanoff ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Stefanoff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Stefanoff.
Has Stefanoff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stefanoff went from 129 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 16 (-12.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Stefanoff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stefanoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Stefanoff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.6% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stefanoff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.6%), Hispanic (17.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Stefanoff (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 Stefanoff mean?
A surname of Bulgarian origin referring to someone who followed the Christian name Stefan. 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 Stefanoff (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 Stefanoff?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.