2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Stephanian
An Armenian surname referring to someone from Stepanakert or surrounding areas.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Stephanian. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stephanian 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Stephanian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stephanian, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stephanian
The surname "Stephanian" is believed to have originated in Armenia in the 9th century. It was derived from the Armenian word "Stepanos," which means "crowned" or "wreathed." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who wore a crown or wreath, possibly a member of the nobility or a high-ranking individual in the Armenian Church.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in Armenian manuscripts from the 10th and 11th centuries. One notable example is a monk named Stephanos Stephanian, who lived in the Haghpat Monastery in the late 10th century and was known for his calligraphic skills.
In the 12th century, the name appears in records related to the Bagratuni dynasty, which ruled Armenia from the 9th to the 11th centuries. A notable figure was Stephanos Stephanian, a military commander who served under King Gagik II Bagratuni (1017-1079).
As Armenians migrated to different regions, the name spread to neighboring countries. In the 13th century, there are records of individuals with the surname Stephanian in the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname outside of Armenia was Hovhannes Stephanian, a merchant and diplomat who lived in the 14th century and represented the interests of the Armenian community in the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt.
Another notable figure was Khachatur Stephanian (1590-1672), an Armenian priest and scholar who served as the Archbishop of Lviv and played a significant role in the cultural and religious life of the Armenian diaspora in Eastern Europe.
In the 19th century, the surname was prominent among Armenian intellectuals and writers, such as Hovhannes Stephanian (1819-1899), a poet and educator who contributed to the development of modern Armenian literature.
While the surname is most commonly associated with Armenia and the Armenian diaspora, it has also been adopted by individuals of other ethnic backgrounds over time, particularly in regions where Armenians have lived and interacted with other communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stephanian
Among Census respondents with the surname Stephanian, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Stephanian 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 Stephanian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stephanian
Stephanian 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,479 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-11 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,962 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 6,479 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 8,962 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 Stephanian 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 | #145,220 | #154,182 | -6.2% |
| Count | 114 | 103 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stephanian bearers went from 114 to 103 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 8,962 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #154,182.
FAQ
Stephanian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stephanian?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Stephanian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Stephanian?
Stephanian ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Stephanian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Stephanian.
Has Stephanian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stephanian went from 114 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Stephanian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stephanian, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Stephanian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stephanian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Stephanian (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 Stephanian mean?
An Armenian surname referring to someone from Stepanakert or surrounding areas. 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 Stephanian (0.03 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 last name Stephanian?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Stephanian on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.