2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Stek
An occupational surname derived from the Dutch word "stek" meaning a cutting or graft.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Stek. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stek 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Stek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stek, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stek
The surname STEK is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Dutch word "stek," which means "cutting" or "plant stem," suggesting that the name may have been initially associated with horticulture or gardening professions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the STEK surname can be found in the Utrecht Archives, dating back to the year 1438, where a certain Hendrick Stek is mentioned in a land transaction document. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the 15th century.
In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the STEK surname was Jan Stek, a Dutch painter who lived from approximately 1535 to 1605. His works, primarily depicting religious scenes and portraits, can be found in various museums across the Netherlands.
During the 17th century, the STEK name appears to have spread beyond the Netherlands. In 1652, a Johann Stek is recorded as having arrived in the Dutch colony of New Netherland (present-day New York) aboard the ship Bonte Koe.
Another prominent individual with the STEK surname was Pieter Stek, a Dutch mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1683 to 1753. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and published several influential works on the subject.
In the 19th century, the STEK name can be found in various parts of Europe. In Germany, a notable figure was Karl Stek (1806-1875), a philosopher and writer who was known for his works on ethics and morality.
Moving into the 20th century, one of the most well-known bearers of the STEK surname was Gerrit Stek (1901-1981), a Dutch politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Netherlands from 1958 to 1965.
While the STEK surname is relatively uncommon, it continues to be present in various parts of the world, with concentrations in the Netherlands, Germany, and the United States, where many Dutch immigrants settled over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stek
Among Census respondents with the surname Stek, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Stek 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 Stek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.3% · 110
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stek
Stek 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+9 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+4 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,231 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+9.0%) | Down 16 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 3,231 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 Stek 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 | #150,452 | #147,221 | 2.1% |
| Count | 109 | 113 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stek bearers went from 109 to 113 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 3,231 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #147,221.
FAQ
Stek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stek?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Stek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Stek?
Stek ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Stek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Stek.
Has Stek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stek went from 109 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 4 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Stek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stek, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Stek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.3%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Stek (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 Stek mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Dutch word "stek" meaning a cutting or graft. 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 Stek (0.04 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 Stek?
See how many people are called Stek on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.