2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sternes
A variant spelling of the surname derived from the Old English word "stern" meaning strict or severe.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Sternes. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sternes 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Sternes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sternes, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.5%. The next largest groups are Black (34.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sternes
The surname Sternes is believed to have originated in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be a locational surname, derived from the Old English word "ster," meaning a pond or a small pool of water. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a pond or a body of water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Sternes can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1182, where a person named Richard Sterne is mentioned. The name also appears in the Curia Regis Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1204, with a reference to a certain William de Sterne.
In the 13th century, the surname Sternes was also found in various parts of Yorkshire, where it was often spelled as "Sterne" or "Stern." The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list several individuals with this surname, including John Sterne, Robert Sterne, and Thomas Sterne.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Sternes surname became more widespread across England. Notable individuals with this surname include Richard Sterne (1596-1683), an English author and theologian, and Laurence Sterne (1713-1768), a renowned English novelist and satirist best known for his novel "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman."
In the 18th century, the Sternes family had a strong presence in Ireland, particularly in County Tipperary. One notable member of this family was Richard Sterne (1741-1815), an Irish-born Anglican clergyman and writer who served as the Bishop of Clogher.
The 19th century saw the Sternes surname spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, as a result of emigration. One notable individual from this period was Marcus Sterne (1838-1920), a British-born Australian writer and journalist who settled in New South Wales.
Other notable individuals with the surname Sternes throughout history include Henry Sterne (1561-1624), an English composer and organist; William Sterne (1675-1735), an English clergyman and author; and John Sterne (1660-1745), an English author and editor.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sternes
Among Census respondents with the surname Sternes, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.5%. The next largest groups are Black (34.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sternes 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 Sternes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.5% · 70
- Black or African American34.8% · 39
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sternes
Sternes 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-19 bearers (-15.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 28,813 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+10 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,478 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -19 bearers (-15.7%) | Down 28,813 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 10,478 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 Sternes 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 | #158,432 | #147,954 | 6.6% |
| Count | 102 | 112 | 9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 24.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sternes bearers went from 102 to 112 (+9.8% change). The surname moved up 10,478 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #147,954.
FAQ
Sternes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sternes?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Sternes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Sternes?
Sternes ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Sternes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Sternes.
Has Sternes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sternes went from 102 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 10 (+9.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Sternes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sternes, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.5%. The next largest groups are Black (34.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Sternes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.5% (70 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sternes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.5%), Black (34.8%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Sternes (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 Sternes mean?
A variant spelling of the surname derived from the Old English word "stern" meaning strict or severe. 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 Sternes (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 many Americans have the surname Sternes?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.