2000
#13,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,986
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Steigerwald
A German topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a steep, wooded area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,042 Americans carry the last name Steigerwald. That puts it at #15,777 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 167,852 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Steigerwald 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
2.0K
1 in 167,852
Census rank
#15,777
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,781 bearers of the surname Steigerwald in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15777th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Steigerwald, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Steigerwald
The surname Steigerwald is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Bavaria. It is thought to have derived from the German words "Steiger," which means "climber" or "mountaineer," and "Wald," meaning "forest" or "woods." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived or worked in the mountains or forests, perhaps as a forester, woodcutter, or hunter.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Steigerwald name can be found in historical documents from the 16th century in the town of Nürnberg, located in the Bavarian region of Germany. It is mentioned in a census record from 1589, which lists a family with the surname Steigerwald residing in the town.
In the 17th century, the name Steigerwald appeared in various records and manuscripts across different regions of Germany, indicating that individuals with this surname had begun to spread throughout the country. It is possible that some of them may have been involved in occupations related to forestry or mountain activities.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, several notable individuals with the surname Steigerwald emerged. One example is Johann Steigerwald, a German painter and engraver who was born in 1776 and died in 1836. Another is Friedrich Steigerwald, a German theologian and writer who lived from 1804 to 1873.
Other historical figures bearing the Steigerwald name include Karl Steigerwald, a German musician and composer born in 1830, and Heinrich Steigerwald, a German politician and member of the Reichstag (the German parliament) in the late 19th century.
It is worth noting that the surname Steigerwald may have variations in spelling, such as Steigerwald, Steigerwaldt, or Steigerwalt, depending on the region and the specific family lineage. Additionally, the name may have evolved from or been influenced by various place names or geographical features in different areas of Germany.
Throughout its history, the surname Steigerwald has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, politicians, and tradespeople, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and occupations of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Steigerwald
Among Census respondents with the surname Steigerwald, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Steigerwald 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 Steigerwald surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 1,666
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 56
- Two or more races2.5% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Steigerwald
Steigerwald 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
#13,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,206
+220 bearers (+11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 210 places
2020
#15,777
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,781
-425 bearers (-19.3%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 2,056 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,931 | 1,986 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,721 | 2,206 | 0.75 | +220 bearers (+11.1%) | Up 210 places |
| 2020 | #15,777 | 1,781 | 0.60 | -425 bearers (-19.3%) | Down 2,056 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 Steigerwald 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 | #13,721 | #15,777 | -15.0% |
| Count | 2,206 | 1,781 | -19.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.60 | -20.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Steigerwald bearers went from 2,206 to 1,781 (-19.3% change). The surname moved down 2,056 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,721 to #15,777.
FAQ
Steigerwald surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Steigerwald?
Name Census estimates that about 2,042 living Americans carry the surname Steigerwald. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 167,852 residents.
How common is Steigerwald?
Steigerwald ranks #15,777 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,781 people with the surname Steigerwald. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,042), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Steigerwald.
Has Steigerwald become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Steigerwald went from 2,206 recorded bearers to 1,781. That is a decrease of 425 (-19.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,721 to #15,777.
What does the Census say about the background of Steigerwald?
Among Census respondents with the surname Steigerwald, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Steigerwald in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (1,666 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Steigerwald appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Steigerwald (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 Steigerwald mean?
A German topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a steep, wooded area. 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 Steigerwald (0.60 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 Steigerwald?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Steigerwald, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.