2000
#7,920
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,875
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.44
Rare Last name
Sternberg
A German and Jewish surname referring to someone who lived near a star-shaped hill or mountain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,137 Americans carry the last name Sternberg. That puts it at #8,725 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,851 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sternberg 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 Sternberg with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 82,851
Census rank
#8,725
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,608 bearers of the surname Sternberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8725th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sternberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sternberg
The surname Sternberg has its origins in Germany, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the German words "Stern" meaning "star" and "Berg" meaning "mountain" or "hill". The name likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent landmark such as a hill or mountain with a star-shaped pattern or symbol.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sternberg can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburg, a collection of historical documents from the former Margraviate of Brandenburg, dating back to the 13th century. The name is also mentioned in various chronicles and records from the region during the Middle Ages.
During the 14th century, the Sternberg family held significant land and power in the areas around Sternberg, a town in the modern-day state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The town itself derives its name from the family, indicating their influence and prominence in the region at that time.
In the 15th century, a notable figure with the surname Sternberg was Günther von Sternberg (1420-1489), a German knight and military commander. He served under Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg, and played a crucial role in the Prussian conquest of the Duchy of Pomerania.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Count Adam Sternberg (1579-1623), a Bohemian nobleman and military leader who fought in the Thirty Years' War. He was a supporter of the Protestant cause and served as the commander-in-chief of the Protestant armies in Bohemia.
In the 18th century, Count Franz Philipp von Sternberg (1763-1830) was a notable Czech naturalist and botanist. He made significant contributions to the study of paleobotany and was a patron of the sciences, supporting numerous scientific expeditions and research projects.
The name Sternberg has also been associated with several place names throughout Central Europe, such as Sternberg in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, and Sternberk in the Czech Republic. These locations likely derived their names from the Sternberg family or the geographical features associated with the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sternberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Sternberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Sternberg 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 Sternberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 3,327
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 136
- Two or more races2.1% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 44
- Black or African American0.3% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sternberg
Sternberg 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
#8,405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,935
+60 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 485 places
2020
#8,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,608
-327 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 320 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,920 | 3,875 | 1.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,405 | 3,935 | 1.33 | +60 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 485 places |
| 2020 | #8,725 | 3,608 | 1.21 | -327 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 320 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 Sternberg 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 | #8,405 | #8,725 | -3.8% |
| Count | 3,935 | 3,608 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.33 | 1.21 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sternberg bearers went from 3,935 to 3,608 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 320 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,405 to #8,725.
FAQ
Sternberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sternberg?
Name Census estimates that about 4,137 living Americans carry the surname Sternberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,851 residents.
How common is Sternberg?
Sternberg ranks #8,725 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,608 people with the surname Sternberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,137), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sternberg.
Has Sternberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sternberg went from 3,935 recorded bearers to 3,608. That is a decrease of 327 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,405 to #8,725.
What does the Census say about the background of Sternberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sternberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) 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 Sternberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (3,327 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sternberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.8%), 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 Sternberg (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 Sternberg mean?
A German and Jewish surname referring to someone who lived near a star-shaped hill or mountain. 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 Sternberg (1.21 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 share the surname Sternberg?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.