2000
#4,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,685
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.85
Rare Last name
Stephan
A surname derived from the Greek given name Stephanos, meaning "crown" or "wreath," often bestowed upon martyrs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,581 Americans carry the last name Stephan. That puts it at #4,598 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,943 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stephan 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 Stephan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.6K
1 in 39,943
Census rank
#4,598
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,483 bearers of the surname Stephan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4598th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stephan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stephan
The surname Stephan is of German origin, derived from the Greek name Stephanos, meaning "crown" or "wreath." It first emerged in the late medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century, in various regions of what is now modern-day Germany.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Stephan can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony dating back to the 10th century. In this codex, a certain "Stephanus de Burckhardi" is mentioned, indicating the presence of the name in that region during that time.
The name Stephan also appears in various local records and chronicles from different parts of Germany, such as the Annales Erphordenses, a chronicle from the city of Erfurt, which mentions a "Stephanus de Quernavorde" in the year 1317.
As the name spread across Germany, it underwent slight variations in spelling, including Stephan, Steffen, and Steffan. These regional variations were often influenced by local dialects and language patterns.
One of the earliest notable bearers of the surname Stephan was Heinrich Stephan, a German astronomer and mathematician who lived from 1761 to 1846. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and is best known for his work on the motion of comets.
Another prominent figure with the surname Stephan was Christian Stephan, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1758 to 1828. He was renowned for his religious paintings and etchings, and his works can be found in various churches and museums throughout Germany.
In the realm of literature, August Stephan, a German poet and novelist born in 1810, gained recognition for his works that explored themes of nature and romanticism.
Moving to the 20th century, Rudolf Stephan, a German politician and member of the Nazi party, served as the Gauleiter (regional leader) of Saxony from 1933 to 1945, playing a significant role in the implementation of Nazi policies in that region.
Finally, it's worth mentioning Walter Stephan, a German-American chemist who lived from 1912 to 1991. He made notable contributions to the field of polymer chemistry and was awarded the prestigious Wolf Prize in Chemistry in 1983 for his groundbreaking work on macromolecular chemistry.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the surname Stephan throughout history, highlighting its German roots and its presence across various fields and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stephan
Among Census respondents with the surname Stephan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Stephan 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 Stephan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 6,787
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 245
- Two or more races3.2% · 238
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 72
- Black or African American0.9% · 65
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stephan
Stephan 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
#4,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,840
+155 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 2.66
Rank movement Down 254 places
2020
#4,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,483
-357 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 2.50
Rank movement Down 76 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,268 | 7,685 | 2.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,522 | 7,840 | 2.66 | +155 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 254 places |
| 2020 | #4,598 | 7,483 | 2.50 | -357 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 76 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 Stephan 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 | #4,522 | #4,598 | -1.7% |
| Count | 7,840 | 7,483 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.66 | 2.50 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stephan bearers went from 7,840 to 7,483 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 76 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,522 to #4,598.
FAQ
Stephan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stephan?
Name Census estimates that about 8,581 living Americans carry the surname Stephan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,943 residents.
How common is Stephan?
Stephan ranks #4,598 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,483 people with the surname Stephan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,581), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Stephan.
Has Stephan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stephan went from 7,840 recorded bearers to 7,483. That is a decrease of 357 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,522 to #4,598.
What does the Census say about the background of Stephan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stephan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Stephan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (6,787 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stephan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Stephan (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 Stephan mean?
A surname derived from the Greek given name Stephanos, meaning "crown" or "wreath," often bestowed upon martyrs. 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 Stephan (2.50 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 Stephan?
Want to know how many people have the surname Stephan? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.