2000
#395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 72,892
First available Census row
Per 100,000 27.02
Uncommon Last name
Stevenson
Son of Steven or Stephen, a patronymic surname derived from the given name meaning "crowned" or "garland."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 82,892 Americans carry the last name Stevenson. That puts it at #445 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 24.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,135 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stevenson 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 Stevenson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
83K
1 in 4,135
Census rank
#445
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
24.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
72K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 72,286 bearers of the surname Stevenson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 24.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 445th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stevenson, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.4%. The next largest groups are Black (29.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stevenson
The surname Stevenson originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "stevene", which means "crown" or "garland". This suggests that the name may have been associated with someone who worked as a crowner or held a position of authority.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a series of parchments containing the names of Scottish landowners who swore fealty to Edward I of England. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Stevynson" and "Stephynson".
The name Stevenson is also closely tied to several place names in Scotland, such as Stevenston in Ayrshire and Stevenson in Haddingtonshire. These locations likely served as the ancestral homes of families bearing the surname.
Notable historical figures with the surname Stevenson include Robert Stevenson (1772-1850), a Scottish civil engineer and renowned lighthouse builder, and his son, Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), the famous Scottish novelist and poet who wrote classics like "Treasure Island" and "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde".
Other notable individuals with the surname include Adlai E. Stevenson (1835-1914), an American politician who served as the 23rd Vice President of the United States, and Adlai E. Stevenson II (1900-1965), an American politician and diplomat who served as the 5th United States Ambassador to the United Nations.
Additionally, there is J.J. Stevenson (1832-1853), a Scottish-American surveyor and explorer who conducted extensive surveys of the American West, and Celia Stevenson (1825-1895), an English writer and philanthropist who established schools for the education of women in India.
The surname Stevenson has a rich history rooted in medieval Scotland and has been carried by notable individuals across various fields, from literature and engineering to politics and exploration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stevenson
Among Census respondents with the surname Stevenson, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.4%. The next largest groups are Black (29.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Stevenson 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 Stevenson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.4% · 44,414
- Black or African American29.0% · 20,954
- Two or more races4.6% · 3,361
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 2,603
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 545
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 409
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stevenson
Stevenson 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
#432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 75,169
+2,277 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 25.48
Rank movement Down 37 places
2020
#445
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 72,286
-2,883 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 24.18
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #395 | 72,892 | 27.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #432 | 75,169 | 25.48 | +2,277 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 37 places |
| 2020 | #445 | 72,286 | 24.18 | -2,883 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 13 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 Stevenson 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 | #432 | #445 | -3.0% |
| Count | 75,169 | 72,286 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 25.48 | 24.18 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stevenson bearers went from 75,169 to 72,286 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #432 to #445.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Stevenson
FAQ
Stevenson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stevenson?
Name Census estimates that about 82,892 living Americans carry the surname Stevenson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,135 residents.
How common is Stevenson?
Stevenson ranks #445 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 24.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 24 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 72,286 people with the surname Stevenson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (82,892), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 24.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 24.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 24 of them to have the surname Stevenson.
Has Stevenson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stevenson went from 75,169 recorded bearers to 72,286. That is a decrease of 2,883 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #432 to #445.
What does the Census say about the background of Stevenson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stevenson, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.4%. The next largest groups are Black (29.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Stevenson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.4% (44,414 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stevenson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.4%), Black (29.0%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Stevenson (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 Stevenson mean?
Son of Steven or Stephen, a patronymic surname derived from the given name meaning "crowned" or "garland." 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 Stevenson (24.18 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 Stevenson?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Stevenson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.