2000
#1,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,618
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.13
Uncommon Last name
Stern
A descriptive surname referring to a strict, severe, or firm person, likely in character or demeanor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 28,246 Americans carry the last name Stern. That puts it at #1,406 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,135 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stern 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 Stern with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,135
Census rank
#1,406
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,632 bearers of the surname Stern in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1406th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stern, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stern
The surname Stern is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "stern," meaning "star." It likely originated as a descriptive surname, given to someone who lived near a house with a star hanging over the door or bore a resemblance to a star.
The name can be traced back to the 13th century in German-speaking regions of Europe. One of the earliest recorded instances is Heinrich Stern, a merchant from Strasbourg, France, who lived in the early 1300s. Another early record is from the Bavarian town of Landshut, where a man named Ulrich Stern is mentioned in a document from 1348.
In England, the surname Stern is thought to have been introduced by German immigrants in the 16th and 17th centuries. One of the earliest recorded examples is John Stern, who was born in London in 1580.
Over the centuries, the surname has been spelled in various ways, including Sterne, Starn, and Starne. It is also related to the place name Sternberg, which means "star mountain" in German.
Notable individuals with the surname Stern throughout history include:
1. Sir Thomas Stern (1604-1683), an English lawyer and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1661.
2. Daniel Stern (1647-1737), a German theologian and philosopher who was a prominent figure in the Pietist movement.
3. Marie de Vichy-Chamrond, Marquise du Deffand (1697-1780), a French woman of letters and prominent salon hostess, whose maiden name was Stern.
4. Laurence Stern (1713-1768), an Irish novelist best known for his novel "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman."
5. Isaac Stern (1920-2001), a renowned American violinist and conductor who helped revive public interest in classical music.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stern
Among Census respondents with the surname Stern, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Stern 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 Stern surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 22,514
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 806
- Two or more races2.1% · 524
- Black or African American2.1% · 514
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 217
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stern
Stern 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
#1,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,074
+456 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 8.50
Rank movement Down 107 places
2020
#1,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,632
-442 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 8.24
Rank movement Up 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,311 | 24,618 | 9.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,418 | 25,074 | 8.50 | +456 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 107 places |
| 2020 | #1,406 | 24,632 | 8.24 | -442 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 12 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 Stern 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 | #1,418 | #1,406 | 0.8% |
| Count | 25,074 | 24,632 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 8.50 | 8.24 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stern bearers went from 25,074 to 24,632 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,418 to #1,406.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Stern
FAQ
Stern surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stern?
Name Census estimates that about 28,246 living Americans carry the surname Stern. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,135 residents.
How common is Stern?
Stern ranks #1,406 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,632 people with the surname Stern. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (28,246), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Stern.
Has Stern become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stern went from 25,074 recorded bearers to 24,632. That is a decrease of 442 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,418 to #1,406.
What does the Census say about the background of Stern?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stern, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Stern in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (22,514 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stern appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Stern (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 Stern mean?
A descriptive surname referring to a strict, severe, or firm person, likely in character or demeanor. 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 Stern (8.24 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 Stern?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.