2000
#10,287
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,871
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Stell
An occupational surname for someone who manufactures or works with steel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,956 Americans carry the last name Stell. That puts it at #11,641 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,952 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stell 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Stell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 115,952
Census rank
#11,641
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,578 bearers of the surname Stell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11641st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stell, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stell
The surname STELL is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "stal," meaning "steel" or "firm," suggesting a connection to metalworking or steadfastness.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical records from Saxony, where a certain Henricus Stell is mentioned in relation to a land transaction in the year 1189.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various records across Europe, including the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres in France, where a Johannes Stell is listed as a witness to a legal document in 1247.
As the name spread across Europe, it took on various spellings and local variations. In England, for instance, the name was sometimes written as Stell, Stelle, or Stelles, as evidenced by records such as the Feet of Fines for Essex from 1310, which mentions a John Stelles.
Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname STELL include:
1. Christoph Stell (1568-1632), a German theologian and Lutheran minister who served as the court preacher to the Elector of Brandenburg.
2. Johann Christoph Stell (1627-1686), a German composer and organist known for his sacred vocal works.
3. Margrave Johann Friedrich von Stell (1658-1720), a German military leader who fought in the War of the Spanish Succession.
4. Sir Benjamin Stell (1672-1737), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1723.
5. Gottfried Stell (1718-1789), a German philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of calculus.
While the surname STELL can be traced back to its Germanic origins, it has since spread across Europe and beyond, with various branches and lineages emerging over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stell
Among Census respondents with the surname Stell, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Stell 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 Stell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.6% · 2,078
- Black or African American9.7% · 251
- Two or more races4.0% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 100
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stell
Stell 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
#13,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,292
-579 bearers (-20.2%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 3,019 places
2020
#11,641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,578
+286 bearers (+12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 1,665 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,287 | 2,871 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,306 | 2,292 | 0.78 | -579 bearers (-20.2%) | Down 3,019 places |
| 2020 | #11,641 | 2,578 | 0.86 | +286 bearers (+12.5%) | Up 1,665 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 Stell 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 | #13,306 | #11,641 | 12.5% |
| Count | 2,292 | 2,578 | 12.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.86 | 10.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stell bearers went from 2,292 to 2,578 (+12.5% change). The surname moved up 1,665 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,306 to #11,641.
FAQ
Stell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stell?
Name Census estimates that about 2,956 living Americans carry the surname Stell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,952 residents.
How common is Stell?
Stell ranks #11,641 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,578 people with the surname Stell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,956), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Stell.
Has Stell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stell went from 2,292 recorded bearers to 2,578. That is an increase of 286 (+12.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,306 to #11,641.
What does the Census say about the background of Stell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stell, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Stell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.6% (2,078 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.6%), Black (9.7%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Stell (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 Stell mean?
An occupational surname for someone who manufactures or works with steel. 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 Stell (0.86 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 share the surname Stell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.