2000
#2,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,252
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.17
Uncommon Last name
Steffen
A German occupational surname referring to a steward or administrator of an estate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,793 Americans carry the last name Steffen. That puts it at #3,154 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,792 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Steffen 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 Steffen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,792
Census rank
#3,154
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,156 bearers of the surname Steffen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3154th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Steffen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Steffen
The surname Steffen originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the Middle Ages. Derived from the Germanic personal name Stefan or Stephan, which itself comes from the Greek "Stephanos" meaning "crown" or "wreath," the name Steffen likely emerged as a surname in the 12th or 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Steffen can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis," a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, where a certain "Henricus Steffen" is mentioned in a document from the year 1375. The name also appears in various other medieval records and manuscripts from different regions of Germany.
The surname Steffen has its roots in various German place names, such as Steffenberg, Steffenshagen, and Steffensweiler, which likely contributed to the formation of the surname. These place names, in turn, may have originated from personal names like Stefan or Stephan, indicating that the surname was initially used to identify individuals based on their place of origin or residence.
Over the centuries, the surname Steffen has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Johann Steffen, a German theologian and reformer who lived in the 16th century (c. 1500-1570). Another notable bearer of the name was Johann Gottlieb Steffen, a German architect and urban planner who was active in the 18th century (1720-1789).
In the realm of literature, Johann Gottfried Steffen, a German writer and poet, made significant contributions during the late 18th and early 19th centuries (1766-1823). The 19th century also saw the rise of Carl Steffen, a German painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and depictions of rural life (1840-1918).
One of the most influential figures with the surname Steffen was Albert Steffen, a Swiss philosopher, poet, and anthroposophist who collaborated closely with Rudolf Steiner and played a significant role in the development of anthroposophy during the early 20th century (1884-1963).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Steffen
Among Census respondents with the surname Steffen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Steffen 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 Steffen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 10,395
- Two or more races2.9% · 329
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 294
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 81
- Black or African American0.3% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Steffen
Steffen 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
#3,144
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,494
+242 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 3.90
Rank movement Down 207 places
2020
#3,154
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,156
-338 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 3.73
Rank movement Down 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,937 | 11,252 | 4.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,144 | 11,494 | 3.90 | +242 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 207 places |
| 2020 | #3,154 | 11,156 | 3.73 | -338 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 10 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 Steffen 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 | #3,144 | #3,154 | -0.3% |
| Count | 11,494 | 11,156 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.90 | 3.73 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Steffen bearers went from 11,494 to 11,156 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,144 to #3,154.
FAQ
Steffen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Steffen?
Name Census estimates that about 12,793 living Americans carry the surname Steffen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,792 residents.
How common is Steffen?
Steffen ranks #3,154 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.73 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 11,156 people with the surname Steffen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,793), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.73 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 Steffen.
Has Steffen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Steffen went from 11,494 recorded bearers to 11,156. That is a decrease of 338 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,144 to #3,154.
What does the Census say about the background of Steffen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Steffen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Steffen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (10,395 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Steffen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Steffen (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 Steffen mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a steward or administrator of an 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 Steffen (3.73 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 are called Steffen?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Steffen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.