2000
#4,245
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,722
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.86
Rare Last name
Steinmetz
A German occupational surname referring to a stonecutter or stonemason.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,254 Americans carry the last name Steinmetz. That puts it at #4,250 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,039 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Steinmetz 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
9.3K
1 in 37,039
Census rank
#4,250
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,070 bearers of the surname Steinmetz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4250th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Steinmetz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Steinmetz
The surname Steinmetz originated in Germany, with its origins dating back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the German words "stein," meaning stone, and "metz," meaning mason or stonecutter. This suggests that the name was initially given as an occupational surname to individuals who worked as stonemasons or quarrymen.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Steinmetz can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various regions of Germany. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include Konrad Steinmetz, who was mentioned in the records of the city of Cologne in 1291, and Heinrich Steinmetz, who was listed in the records of the town of Augsburg in 1348.
The surname Steinmetz has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the most prominent individuals with this surname was Charles Proteus Steinmetz (1865-1923), a German-American mathematician and electrical engineer who made significant contributions to the development of alternating current (AC) technology and electrical engineering.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Johannes Steinmetz (1489-1542), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and helped to spread the principles of the Reformation throughout Germany.
In the field of architecture, Friedrich Steinmetz (1832-1904) was a German architect known for his work on several notable buildings, including the Cologne Cathedral and the Paderborn Cathedral.
The surname Steinmetz has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout Germany. For example, the town of Steinmetz in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate is believed to have derived its name from individuals bearing the Steinmetz surname who resided in the area.
Another notable individual with the surname Steinmetz was Johann Georg Steinmetz (1673-1746), a German composer and organist who was active during the Baroque period. He is particularly known for his organ works and his contributions to the development of the North German organ tradition.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Steinmetz
Among Census respondents with the surname Steinmetz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Steinmetz 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 Steinmetz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 7,527
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 229
- Two or more races2.6% · 212
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 48
- Black or African American0.4% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Steinmetz
Steinmetz 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
#4,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,032
+310 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 2.72
Rank movement Down 181 places
2020
#4,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,070
+38 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 2.70
Rank movement Up 176 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,245 | 7,722 | 2.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,426 | 8,032 | 2.72 | +310 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 181 places |
| 2020 | #4,250 | 8,070 | 2.70 | +38 bearers (+0.5%) | Up 176 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 Steinmetz 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 | #4,426 | #4,250 | 4.0% |
| Count | 8,032 | 8,070 | 0.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.72 | 2.70 | -0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Steinmetz bearers went from 8,032 to 8,070 (+0.5% change). The surname moved up 176 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,426 to #4,250.
FAQ
Steinmetz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Steinmetz?
Name Census estimates that about 9,254 living Americans carry the surname Steinmetz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,039 residents.
How common is Steinmetz?
Steinmetz ranks #4,250 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,070 people with the surname Steinmetz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,254), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Steinmetz.
Has Steinmetz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Steinmetz went from 8,032 recorded bearers to 8,070. That is an increase of 38 (+0.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,426 to #4,250.
What does the Census say about the background of Steinmetz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Steinmetz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (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 Steinmetz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (7,527 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Steinmetz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (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 Steinmetz (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 Steinmetz mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a stonecutter or stonemason. 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 Steinmetz (2.70 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 last name Steinmetz?
See how many Americans have the surname Steinmetz on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.