2000
#4,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,454
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.76
Rare Last name
Stegall
Derived from a place name meaning "steep nook" or "steep corner" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,189 Americans carry the last name Stegall. That puts it at #4,797 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,855 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stegall 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
8.2K
1 in 41,855
Census rank
#4,797
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,141 bearers of the surname Stegall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4797th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stegall, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stegall
The surname STEGALL originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "stige" meaning a path or track, and "heal" meaning a hall or shelter, suggesting it may have referred to a dwelling located along a pathway or track.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, which mentions a Richard de Stigehale. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain references to individuals with similar surnames, such as William de Stigehale and John de Stihale.
The STEGALL surname is closely linked to various place names in England, particularly in the counties of Worcestershire, Warwickshire, and Staffordshire. Examples include Stichall in Worcestershire, Stighall in Warwickshire, and Stighall in Staffordshire. These place names likely originated from the same Old English roots as the surname itself.
Notable individuals bearing the STEGALL surname throughout history include:
1. John Stegall (c. 1592-1651), an English religious scholar and theologian who served as the Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
2. Richard Stegall (fl. 1640s), an English merchant and trader who established trading posts in the West Indies during the colonial era.
3. Thomas Stegall (1679-1747), an English landowner and member of Parliament for Warwickshire from 1722 to 1747.
4. Elizabeth Stegall (1726-1802), an English writer and poet known for her contributions to literary magazines of the time.
5. William Stegall (1801-1879), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including St. Saviour's Church in Southwark.
While the STEGALL surname originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration to North America and other English-speaking countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stegall
Among Census respondents with the surname Stegall, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Stegall 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 Stegall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.5% · 5,320
- Black or African American17.5% · 1,248
- Two or more races3.9% · 276
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 218
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 38
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stegall
Stegall 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
#4,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,439
-15 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 2.52
Rank movement Down 361 places
2020
#4,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,141
-298 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 2.39
Rank movement Down 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,400 | 7,454 | 2.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,761 | 7,439 | 2.52 | -15 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 361 places |
| 2020 | #4,797 | 7,141 | 2.39 | -298 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 36 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 Stegall 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 | #4,761 | #4,797 | -0.8% |
| Count | 7,439 | 7,141 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.52 | 2.39 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stegall bearers went from 7,439 to 7,141 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,761 to #4,797.
FAQ
Stegall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stegall?
Name Census estimates that about 8,189 living Americans carry the surname Stegall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,855 residents.
How common is Stegall?
Stegall ranks #4,797 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,141 people with the surname Stegall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,189), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Stegall.
Has Stegall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stegall went from 7,439 recorded bearers to 7,141. That is a decrease of 298 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,761 to #4,797.
What does the Census say about the background of Stegall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stegall, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Stegall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.5% (5,320 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stegall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.5%), Black (17.5%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Stegall (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 Stegall mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "steep nook" or "steep corner" in Old English. 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 Stegall (2.39 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 Stegall?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.