2000
#119,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Stenton
A locational surname referring to someone from Stenton, a place name in various parts of the UK.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Stenton. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stenton 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 Stenton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Stenton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stenton, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.6%) and Black (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stenton
The surname Stenton is of English origin, deriving from the place name Stenton, a small village located in the county of East Riding of Yorkshire. The name is believed to have emerged in the 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
Stenton is a locational surname, meaning it originated from a specific place. In this case, the name is derived from the Old English words "stan" meaning stone and "tun" referring to an enclosure or settlement. The combination of these words suggests that Stenton was a settlement or village located near a prominent stone feature or a stony area.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Stenton can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry in the Domesday Book refers to a place called "Stantone" in Yorkshire, which is believed to be the modern-day Stenton.
In the 13th century, a family bearing the name Stenton is mentioned in the Feet of Fines records for Yorkshire, which recorded land transactions and legal agreements. This indicates that the Stenton family held land and property in the region during this period.
One notable bearer of the Stenton surname was Sir William Stenton, a member of the English gentry who lived in the 14th century. He served as a knight and was involved in various military campaigns during the Hundred Years' War between England and France.
Another prominent figure was Robert Stenton, born in 1607, who was a renowned English mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and authored several works on astronomy and navigation.
In the 18th century, a family of Stentons owned and operated a successful brewing business in the city of York. The Stenton Brewery was well-known for its high-quality ales and played a significant role in the local economy.
Variations of the surname Stenton include Stenten, Stanten, and Staunton, which may have originated from different regional pronunciations or spellings of the place name.
The surname Stenton has a long and rich history, tracing its roots back to the early medieval period in England. While not a particularly common name, it has been borne by individuals of note throughout the centuries, from knights and landowners to scholars and entrepreneurs.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stenton
Among Census respondents with the surname Stenton, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.6%) and Black (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Stenton 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 Stenton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.0% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino8.6% · 10
- Black or African American6.0% · 7
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stenton
Stenton 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-29 bearers (-21.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 35,263 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+11 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,879 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #119,644 | 134 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -29 bearers (-21.6%) | Down 35,263 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 9,879 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 Stenton 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 | #154,907 | #145,028 | 6.4% |
| Count | 105 | 116 | 10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stenton bearers went from 105 to 116 (+10.5% change). The surname moved up 9,879 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #145,028.
FAQ
Stenton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stenton?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Stenton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Stenton?
Stenton ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Stenton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Stenton.
Has Stenton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stenton went from 105 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 11 (+10.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Stenton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stenton, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.6%) and Black (6.0%). 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 Stenton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.0% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stenton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.0%), Hispanic (8.6%), Black (6.0%). 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 Stenton (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 Stenton mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Stenton, a place name in various parts of the UK. 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 Stenton (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 are called Stenton?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Stenton on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.