2010
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Stepanyuk
An East Slavic surname derived from the Christian given name Stephen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 190 Americans carry the last name Stepanyuk. That puts it at #112,515 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,803,970 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stepanyuk 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
190
1 in 1,803,970
Census rank
#112,515
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
166
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 166 bearers of the surname Stepanyuk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 112515th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stepanyuk, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Black (1.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stepanyuk
The surname STEPANYUK originated in Ukraine and dates back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Ukrainian word "step", meaning "steppe" or "grassland", and the suffix "-yuk" which was commonly used to form patronymic surnames in the region. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived or worked on the steppes of Ukraine.
One of the earliest recorded references to this surname can be found in the Cossack Registry of 1649, where a certain Hryhoriy Stepanyuk is listed as a member of the Cossack forces. The Cossacks were a semi-military group that played a significant role in the history of Ukraine, and many of their members took on surnames that reflected their way of life or geographic origins.
In the 18th century, the name appears in various church records and land registries in the regions of Poltava and Chernihiv, which were part of the Cossack Hetmanate at the time. This suggests that the Stepanyuk family may have had connections to the Cossack communities in these areas.
One notable figure bearing this surname was Mykola Stepanyuk (1857-1921), a Ukrainian writer and journalist who was active in the literary circles of Kyiv in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He published several works of fiction and poetry that explored themes of Ukrainian identity and national culture.
Another individual of historical significance was Hryhoriy Stepanyuk (1884-1937), a Ukrainian political activist and member of the Central Council of Ukraine during the revolutionary period of 1917-1920. He was arrested and executed during the Stalinist purges of the 1930s.
In the early 20th century, a small number of individuals with the surname Stepanyuk emigrated from Ukraine to other parts of the world, including Canada and the United States. One such person was Pavlo Stepanyuk (1895-1968), who settled in Winnipeg, Canada, and became involved in the Ukrainian diaspora community there.
While the surname STEPANYUK is not among the most common in Ukraine today, it continues to be associated with the country's rich cultural heritage and the historical legacy of the Cossack communities that once thrived in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stepanyuk
Among Census respondents with the surname Stepanyuk, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Black (1.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Stepanyuk 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 Stepanyuk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.4% · 160
- Black or African American1.2% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 2
- Two or more races1.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stepanyuk
Stepanyuk appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#112,515
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 166
+33 bearers (+24.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 15,734 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #112,515 | 166 | 0.06 | +33 bearers (+24.8%) | Up 15,734 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 Stepanyuk 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 | #128,249 | #112,515 | 12.3% |
| Count | 133 | 166 | 24.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.06 | 11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stepanyuk bearers went from 133 to 166 (+24.8% change). The surname moved up 15,734 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #112,515.
FAQ
Stepanyuk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stepanyuk?
Name Census estimates that about 190 living Americans carry the surname Stepanyuk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,803,970 residents.
How common is Stepanyuk?
Stepanyuk ranks #112,515 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 166 people with the surname Stepanyuk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (190), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Stepanyuk.
Has Stepanyuk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stepanyuk went from 133 recorded bearers to 166. That is an increase of 33 (+24.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #128,249 to #112,515.
What does the Census say about the background of Stepanyuk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stepanyuk, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Black (1.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Stepanyuk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.4% (160 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stepanyuk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.4%), Black (1.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Stepanyuk (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 Stepanyuk mean?
An East Slavic surname derived from the Christian given name Stephen. 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 Stepanyuk (0.06 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 have the surname Stepanyuk?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.