2000
#110,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 148
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Stere
A surname derived from the Greek "stereos," meaning solid or firm.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Stere. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stere 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Stere in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stere, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stere
The surname "STERE" has its origins in Romania, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Romanian word "ster" or "stere," which refers to a unit of measurement used for stacking firewood or lumber. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals involved in forestry, logging, or the timber trade.
During the medieval period, the name was often spelled as "Steru" or "Stera" in various historical documents and records. One notable early reference can be found in the "Letopisetul Tarii Moldovei" (The Chronicles of Moldavia), a 17th-century manuscript that mentions a "Vasile Steru" as a landowner in the region of Moldavia, now part of modern-day Romania.
As the name spread across different regions, it underwent slight variations in spelling, such as "Stera," "Sterea," and "Sterescu." These variations were often reflective of local dialects or regional influences.
Among the earliest recorded individuals with the surname "STERE" was Dimitrie Stere, a prominent Romanian politician, lawyer, and essayist who lived from 1866 to 1936. He played a significant role in the formation of the Romanian National Liberal Party and served as a member of the Romanian Parliament.
Another notable figure was Constantin Stere, a Romanian philosopher, sociologist, and activist who lived from 1865 to 1936. He was a leading figure in the Poporanist movement, which advocated for the rights and empowerment of Romanian peasants.
In the 19th century, the surname "STERE" was also associated with the noble Stere family from Wallachia, a historical region of present-day Romania. One prominent member was Gheorghe Stere, a politician and landowner who served as a member of the Wallachian Divan (assembly) in the 1830s.
Towards the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the name "STERE" gained recognition in the literary and cultural spheres as well. Panait Stere, a Romanian writer, and literary critic who lived from 1860 to 1938, was a prominent figure in the Sămănătorism movement, which aimed to promote traditional Romanian values and culture.
While the surname "STERE" is predominantly found in Romania, it has also spread to other parts of Eastern Europe and beyond due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins can be traced back to the historical regions of present-day Romania, where it has a rich and longstanding heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stere
Among Census respondents with the surname Stere, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Stere 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 Stere surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 106
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stere
Stere 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
-20 bearers (-13.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,683 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-20 bearers (-15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,729 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #110,523 | 148 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-13.5%) | Down 21,683 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-15.6%) | Down 18,729 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 Stere 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 | #132,206 | #150,935 | -14.2% |
| Count | 128 | 108 | -15.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stere bearers went from 128 to 108 (-15.6% change). The surname moved down 18,729 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #150,935.
FAQ
Stere surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stere?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Stere. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Stere?
Stere ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Stere. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Stere.
Has Stere become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stere went from 128 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 20 (-15.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Stere?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stere, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Stere in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stere appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Stere (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 Stere mean?
A surname derived from the Greek "stereos," meaning solid or firm. 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 Stere (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 common is the surname Stere?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Stere, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.