2000
#13,503
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,065
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Stelter
An occupational surname meaning one who constructs or tends stilts or ladders.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,323 Americans carry the last name Stelter. That puts it at #14,226 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,548 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stelter 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
2.3K
1 in 147,548
Census rank
#14,226
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,026 bearers of the surname Stelter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14226th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stelter, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stelter
The surname Stelter is of German origin, and it dates back to the 13th century. It was initially most prevalent in the region of Bavaria, particularly in the areas around the city of Munich. The name is derived from the German word "stelt," which means "stilt" or "raised." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational name given to someone who worked as a stilt-walker or someone who lived on raised land or stilts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Augsburg, Bavaria, where a certain Hans Stelter was mentioned in 1312. Another early reference is from the archives of the city of Nuremberg, where a Johannes Stelter is listed as a resident in 1428.
The name Stelter has also been found in various forms throughout history, such as Stelter, Stellter, and Steldern. These variations are likely due to regional dialects and the evolution of the spelling over time.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the name Stelter was Johannes Stelter (1516-1581), a German theologian and reformer who played a role in the Protestant Reformation. He was born in Franconia and served as a pastor in several towns in the region.
Another historical figure was Heinrich Stelter (1708-1783), a German composer and organist who was active in the city of Dresden during the 18th century. He is known for his compositions for the organ and his contributions to church music.
In the 19th century, a prominent person with the surname Stelter was Friedrich Stelter (1831-1902), a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Reichstag (the imperial parliament) from 1877 to 1890, representing the city of Cologne.
The name Stelter has also been associated with several place names in Germany, such as Stelteritz, a small village in Saxony, and Stelter Mühle, a former mill located in Lower Saxony.
Additionally, the surname Stelter has been found in various historical documents and records throughout Germany, including church registers, tax rolls, and property deeds, further solidifying its long-standing presence in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stelter
Among Census respondents with the surname Stelter, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Stelter 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 Stelter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 1,905
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 50
- Two or more races2.4% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stelter
Stelter 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
#15,278
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,922
-143 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 1,775 places
2020
#14,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,026
+104 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 1,052 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,503 | 2,065 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,278 | 1,922 | 0.65 | -143 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 1,775 places |
| 2020 | #14,226 | 2,026 | 0.68 | +104 bearers (+5.4%) | Up 1,052 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 Stelter 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 | #15,278 | #14,226 | 6.9% |
| Count | 1,922 | 2,026 | 5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.68 | 4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stelter bearers went from 1,922 to 2,026 (+5.4% change). The surname moved up 1,052 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,278 to #14,226.
FAQ
Stelter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stelter?
Name Census estimates that about 2,323 living Americans carry the surname Stelter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,548 residents.
How common is Stelter?
Stelter ranks #14,226 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,026 people with the surname Stelter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,323), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Stelter.
Has Stelter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stelter went from 1,922 recorded bearers to 2,026. That is an increase of 104 (+5.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,278 to #14,226.
What does the Census say about the background of Stelter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stelter, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Stelter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (1,905 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stelter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Stelter (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 Stelter mean?
An occupational surname meaning one who constructs or tends stilts or ladders. 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 Stelter (0.68 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 common is the surname Stelter?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Stelter at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.