2000
#11,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,545
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Sterrett
Derived from a place name meaning "steer gate" in Old English, referring to an enclosure for cattle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,634 Americans carry the last name Sterrett. That puts it at #12,803 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,127 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sterrett 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 Sterrett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 130,127
Census rank
#12,803
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,297 bearers of the surname Sterrett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12803rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sterrett, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sterrett
The surname Sterrett is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic words "stair" meaning valley or descent, and "ait" meaning a promontory or projecting piece of land. The name likely originated in the Middle Ages, referring to someone who lived in a valley near a prominent landmark or outcropping.
The earliest known record of the name Sterrett appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document recording the names of Scottish landowners and nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. Here, it is spelled as "Stervite" and "Sterviter", indicating the spelling has evolved over time.
In the 16th century, the Sterrett name is mentioned in the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, a record of official documents issued by the Scottish government. This suggests the family had gained some prominence and landholdings during this period.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was John Sterrett, born around 1550 in Lanarkshire, Scotland. He was a landowner and farmer, and his descendants continued to reside in the region for several generations.
In the late 17th century, a branch of the Sterrett family migrated to Ulster, Ireland, where the name was anglicized to various spellings such as "Sterritt" and "Sterret". This was a common practice for Scottish families settling in Ireland during the Plantation of Ulster.
Notable individuals with the Sterrett surname include:
1. Sir Samuel Sterrett (1659-1735), a Scottish merchant and politician who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh.
2. Robert Sterrett (1785-1864), an American naval officer who fought in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812.
3. Mary Sterrett (1858-1942), an American author and educator, known for her work in promoting women's education.
4. James Sterrett (1876-1957), an American classical scholar and archaeologist, known for his excavations in Corinth, Greece.
5. Samuel Sterrett (1892-1978), an American actor and playwright, best known for his portrayal of Uncle Remus in the 1946 film "Song of the South".
The Sterrett name can also be found in various place names, such as Sterrett Creek in West Virginia, and Sterrett Township in Pennsylvania, reflecting the migration patterns of Scottish and Scots-Irish families to North America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sterrett
Among Census respondents with the surname Sterrett, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sterrett 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 Sterrett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.2% · 1,935
- Black or African American7.1% · 164
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 93
- Two or more races3.4% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sterrett
Sterrett 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
#11,257
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,808
+263 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 109 places
2020
#12,803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,297
-511 bearers (-18.2%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 1,546 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,366 | 2,545 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,257 | 2,808 | 0.95 | +263 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 109 places |
| 2020 | #12,803 | 2,297 | 0.77 | -511 bearers (-18.2%) | Down 1,546 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 Sterrett 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 | #11,257 | #12,803 | -13.7% |
| Count | 2,808 | 2,297 | -18.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.77 | -19.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sterrett bearers went from 2,808 to 2,297 (-18.2% change). The surname moved down 1,546 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,257 to #12,803.
FAQ
Sterrett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sterrett?
Name Census estimates that about 2,634 living Americans carry the surname Sterrett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,127 residents.
How common is Sterrett?
Sterrett ranks #12,803 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,297 people with the surname Sterrett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,634), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Sterrett.
Has Sterrett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sterrett went from 2,808 recorded bearers to 2,297. That is a decrease of 511 (-18.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,257 to #12,803.
What does the Census say about the background of Sterrett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sterrett, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Sterrett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.2% (1,935 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sterrett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.2%), Black (7.1%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Sterrett (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 Sterrett mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "steer gate" in Old English, referring to an enclosure for cattle. 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 Sterrett (0.77 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 Sterrett?
See how many people are called Sterrett on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.