2000
#11,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,585
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Stegman
A German occupational surname denoting a builder of bridges or walkways, derived from the Middle High German "stec" meaning footbridge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,790 Americans carry the last name Stegman. That puts it at #12,211 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,851 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stegman 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
2.8K
1 in 122,851
Census rank
#12,211
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,433 bearers of the surname Stegman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12211th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stegman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stegman
The surname Stegman is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the Rhineland region of Germany, where it was derived from the German word "Steg," meaning a footbridge or a narrow path over water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Stegman surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the medieval Kingdom of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. In this codex, a certain Johannes Stegman is mentioned as a landowner in the town of Erfurt.
During the 14th century, the name Stegman appeared in various records across German-speaking regions, often associated with occupations related to bridge-building or maintenance. For instance, a Hans Stegman was recorded as a bridge keeper in the city of Cologne in 1372.
As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Stegemann, Stegemann, and Stegmair. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Stegmann (1588-1653), a German Lutheran theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Rinteln.
In the 17th century, the Stegman surname found its way to the Americas through German immigration. One of the earliest recorded Stegmans in North America was Johann Stegman, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 as part of the Palatine migration.
Another prominent figure bearing the Stegman name was Friedrich Stegmann (1804-1883), a German-American painter and lithographer known for his landscape paintings and portraits. He immigrated to the United States in 1836 and established a successful career as an artist in New York City.
In the 19th century, the Stegman surname gained recognition in the field of agriculture through the work of Charles Stegman (1826-1891), a German-American farmer and horticulturist who introduced several new varieties of apples and grapes to the United States.
As the Stegman family spread across different regions, the name became associated with various occupations and professions, from engineers and architects to academics and writers. Some notable bearers of the name include Hans Stegman (1893-1954), a German architect known for his work in Berlin, and Judith Stegmann (born 1942), a German novelist and essayist.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stegman
Among Census respondents with the surname Stegman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Stegman 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 Stegman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 2,220
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 87
- Two or more races3.5% · 86
- Black or African American1.0% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stegman
Stegman 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
#11,174
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,830
+245 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 65 places
2020
#12,211
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,433
-397 bearers (-14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 1,037 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,239 | 2,585 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,174 | 2,830 | 0.96 | +245 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 65 places |
| 2020 | #12,211 | 2,433 | 0.81 | -397 bearers (-14.0%) | Down 1,037 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 Stegman 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 | #11,174 | #12,211 | -9.3% |
| Count | 2,830 | 2,433 | -14.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 0.81 | -15.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stegman bearers went from 2,830 to 2,433 (-14.0% change). The surname moved down 1,037 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,174 to #12,211.
FAQ
Stegman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stegman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,790 living Americans carry the surname Stegman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,851 residents.
How common is Stegman?
Stegman ranks #12,211 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,433 people with the surname Stegman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,790), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Stegman.
Has Stegman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stegman went from 2,830 recorded bearers to 2,433. That is a decrease of 397 (-14.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,174 to #12,211.
What does the Census say about the background of Stegman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stegman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Stegman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (2,220 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stegman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Stegman (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 Stegman mean?
A German occupational surname denoting a builder of bridges or walkways, derived from the Middle High German "stec" meaning footbridge. 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 Stegman (0.81 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 Stegman?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Stegman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.