2000
#9,384
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,184
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.18
Rare Last name
Stenson
An English patronymic surname derived from the given name Sten, meaning "stone."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,562 Americans carry the last name Stenson. That puts it at #9,924 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,225 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stenson 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 Stenson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 96,225
Census rank
#9,924
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,106 bearers of the surname Stenson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9924th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stenson, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.5%. The next largest groups are Black (23.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stenson
The surname Stenson is of English origin, with roots tracing back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have originated in the county of Derbyshire, where it was derived from the Old English words "stan" meaning stone and "tun" meaning enclosure or farmstead, referring to a stony farm or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Derbyshire from 1196, where a person named Randulf de Stantun is mentioned. This is likely an early spelling variation of the name Stenson.
During the 13th century, the name appeared in various records across Derbyshire and neighboring counties, often spelled as Stantun, Staunton, or Stanton. It is possible that some variations were influenced by the nearby village of Stanton, which shares a similar etymology.
In the 14th century, the surname Stenson began to take its more modern spelling, as evidenced by a record from 1349 mentioning a John Stenson in the Subsidy Rolls of Derbyshire.
One notable historical figure with the surname Stenson was Thomas Stenson (c.1555-1608), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of King James I for his religious beliefs.
Another prominent individual was John Stenson (1619-1679), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of logarithms and the calculation of pi.
In the 18th century, Sir Nicholas Stenson (1718-1781) was a renowned Swedish physician and anatomist, best known for his discovery of the nasal duct, which bears his name as the "Stenon's duct."
The 19th century saw the emergence of Charles Stenson (1819-1893), a British industrialist and inventor who patented several innovations in textile machinery, contributing to the growth of the cotton industry in Lancashire.
More recently, Henrik Stenson (born 1976) is a Swedish professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments on both the PGA Tour and the European Tour, including the prestigious Open Championship in 2016.
While the surname Stenson has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and settlement patterns of English families over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stenson
Among Census respondents with the surname Stenson, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.5%. The next largest groups are Black (23.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Stenson 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 Stenson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.5% · 2,097
- Black or African American23.0% · 714
- Two or more races4.5% · 141
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 116
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stenson
Stenson 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
#9,552
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,403
+219 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 168 places
2020
#9,924
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,106
-297 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 372 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,384 | 3,184 | 1.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,552 | 3,403 | 1.15 | +219 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 168 places |
| 2020 | #9,924 | 3,106 | 1.04 | -297 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 372 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 Stenson 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 | #9,552 | #9,924 | -3.9% |
| Count | 3,403 | 3,106 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 1.04 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stenson bearers went from 3,403 to 3,106 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 372 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,552 to #9,924.
FAQ
Stenson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stenson?
Name Census estimates that about 3,562 living Americans carry the surname Stenson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,225 residents.
How common is Stenson?
Stenson ranks #9,924 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 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 3,106 people with the surname Stenson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,562), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 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 Stenson.
Has Stenson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stenson went from 3,403 recorded bearers to 3,106. That is a decrease of 297 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,552 to #9,924.
What does the Census say about the background of Stenson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stenson, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.5%. The next largest groups are Black (23.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Stenson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.5% (2,097 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stenson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.5%), Black (23.0%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Stenson (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 Stenson mean?
An English patronymic surname derived from the given name Sten, meaning "stone." 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 Stenson (1.04 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 share the surname Stenson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.