2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Stergion
A Greek surname derived from the given name Steven or Stephen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Stergion. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stergion 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Stergion in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stergion, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.2%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stergion
The surname Stergion originates from Greece, particularly the Aegean Islands, and dates back to the Byzantine era of the 6th to 15th centuries. It is derived from the Greek word "stergios," meaning love or affection, and was likely used as a nickname or descriptive name for someone with a loving or affectionate nature.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Stergion can be found in Byzantine manuscripts and church records from the 10th to 12th centuries. Some of these records mention individuals with the name Stergion living on islands such as Crete, Rhodes, and Lesbos, which were part of the Byzantine Empire at the time.
In the 14th century, a nobleman named Georgios Stergion is mentioned in a Venetian document as having been involved in trade negotiations between Venice and the Byzantine Empire. This suggests that the name had spread beyond the Aegean Islands and was present in the wider Greek-speaking world.
During the Ottoman rule of Greece, which lasted from the 15th to the early 19th century, the name Stergion continued to be used, particularly in areas with a strong Greek Orthodox Christian presence. Records from this period show individuals with the surname Stergion living in places like Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) and various regions of mainland Greece.
One notable figure from this time was Ioannis Stergion, a Greek Orthodox priest and scholar who lived in the 17th century. He is known for his writings on theology and his efforts to preserve Greek culture and education during the Ottoman occupation.
In the 19th century, as Greece gained independence from the Ottoman Empire, the surname Stergion began to appear more frequently in official records and historical documents. Petros Stergion (1824-1902) was a prominent Greek politician and diplomat who served as the Foreign Minister of Greece in the late 19th century.
Another notable individual was Konstantinos Stergion (1866-1943), a Greek writer and journalist who was a pioneer of the Greek literary movement known as the "Generation of the 1880s." His works explored themes of love, passion, and the human condition, reflecting the meaning of the name Stergion itself.
Stergion remains a relatively uncommon surname in modern-day Greece, but it has a rich historical legacy that spans centuries and reflects the cultural and linguistic influences of the Greek-speaking world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stergion
Among Census respondents with the surname Stergion, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.2%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Stergion 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 Stergion surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.8% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino19.2% · 19
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stergion
Stergion 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-5 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,615 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-10 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,553 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 14,615 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 5,553 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 Stergion 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 | #150,452 | #156,005 | -3.7% |
| Count | 109 | 99 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stergion bearers went from 109 to 99 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 5,553 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #156,005.
FAQ
Stergion surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stergion?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Stergion. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Stergion?
Stergion ranks #156,005 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 99 people with the surname Stergion. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), 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 Stergion.
Has Stergion become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stergion went from 109 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 10 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Stergion?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stergion, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.2%) and Black (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 Stergion in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.8% (78 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stergion appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.8%), Hispanic (19.2%), Black (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 Stergion (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 Stergion mean?
A Greek surname derived from the given name Steven or 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 Stergion (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 common is the surname Stergion?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Stergion on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.