2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Stelzel
An occupational surname derived from German meaning "one who walks on stilts".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Stelzel. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stelzel 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Stelzel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stelzel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stelzel
The surname Stelzel is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia, where it first appeared in written records during the 13th century.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name Stelzel can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the year 1288. In this record, a person named "Henricus Stelzel" is mentioned as a resident of the town of Zwickau.
The name Stelzel is thought to be derived from the Middle High German word "stelze," which referred to a type of wooden crutch or support used by those with physical disabilities. It is possible that the name was initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who relied on such a crutch or had a distinctive way of walking.
During the 14th century, variations of the name, such as "Stelzeln" and "Steltzl," appeared in various historical documents across central Germany. One notable example is the mention of "Heinricus Steltzl" in the Mannheim Civic Records of 1372.
As the name spread throughout Germany, it also became associated with certain place names. For instance, the village of Stelzendorf, located in Saxony-Anhalt, is believed to have derived its name from the Stelzel surname.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Stelzel have achieved recognition. Johann Gottfried Stelzel (1694-1770) was a German theologian and educator who served as the rector of the Schulpforta boarding school. Johann August Stelzel (1737-1805) was a notable German lawyer and legal scholar.
In the 19th century, Carl Stelzel (1805-1892) was a prominent German architect who designed several iconic buildings in Dresden, including the Semper Opera House. Ernst Stelzel (1865-1944) was a German artist and illustrator known for his landscape paintings and etchings.
More recently, Armin Stelzel (1932-2022) was a German footballer who played as a defender for various clubs, including Hertha BSC and Eintracht Frankfurt, and represented East Germany at the international level.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stelzel
Among Census respondents with the surname Stelzel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Stelzel 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 Stelzel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stelzel
Stelzel 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-9 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,770 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,745 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 15,770 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 3,745 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 Stelzel 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 | #138,304 | #142,049 | -2.7% |
| Count | 121 | 120 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stelzel bearers went from 121 to 120 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,745 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #142,049.
FAQ
Stelzel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stelzel?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Stelzel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Stelzel?
Stelzel ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Stelzel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Stelzel.
Has Stelzel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stelzel went from 121 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Stelzel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stelzel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Stelzel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stelzel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Stelzel (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 Stelzel mean?
An occupational surname derived from German meaning "one who walks on stilts". 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 Stelzel (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 common is the surname Stelzel?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Stelzel, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.