2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Stewartson
A surname likely derived from the son of a person named Stewart.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Stewartson. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stewartson 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Stewartson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stewartson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.9%. The next largest groups are White (27.8%) and Hispanic (13.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stewartson
The surname Stewartson has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 16th century. It is a combination of the personal name Stewart, derived from the Old English words "stiward" meaning "guardian" and "tun" meaning "farm" or "estate". The name likely referred to someone who was a steward or caretaker of a farm or estate.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Stewartson can be found in the parish records of Dumfriesshire, Scotland, in the late 1500s. The name was also prevalent in the Scottish Borders region, particularly in the areas around Roxburghshire and Berwickshire.
In the 17th century, the Stewartson name appeared in several historical documents, including the Court Books of the Regality of Melrose, which recorded legal proceedings in the area. One notable individual from this time was John Stewartson, a landowner and farmer who was born in Roxburghshire in 1630.
During the 18th century, the Stewartson name gained more prominence, with several individuals making significant contributions. Robert Stewartson (1720-1789) was a respected minister in the Church of Scotland, serving as the minister of Kilmaurs Parish in Ayrshire. Another notable figure was William Stewartson (1745-1822), a Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the Old College of the University of Edinburgh.
In the 19th century, the Stewartson name continued to be found across Scotland, with some individuals emigrating to other parts of the world. One such individual was James Stewartson (1810-1888), who was born in Glasgow and later became a successful businessman in Canada, establishing a successful shipping company in Montreal.
Another notable figure from this time period was Alexander Stewartson (1845-1912), a Scottish engineer who made significant contributions to the development of steam engines and railway technology. He was born in Lanarkshire and worked for several prominent engineering firms in Glasgow and London.
As the name spread beyond Scotland, it also began to appear in other parts of the British Isles and North America. One example is John Stewartson (1857-1932), an English-born architect who designed several notable buildings in the United States, including the University of Illinois Observatory and the Foellinger Auditorium in Urbana, Illinois.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stewartson
Among Census respondents with the surname Stewartson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.9%. The next largest groups are White (27.8%) and Hispanic (13.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Stewartson 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 Stewartson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American53.9% · 62
- White27.8% · 32
- Hispanic or Latino13.0% · 15
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stewartson
Stewartson appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 537 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 537 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 Stewartson 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 | #145,220 | #145,757 | -0.4% |
| Count | 114 | 115 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stewartson bearers went from 114 to 115 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 537 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #145,757.
FAQ
Stewartson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stewartson?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Stewartson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Stewartson?
Stewartson ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Stewartson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Stewartson.
Has Stewartson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stewartson went from 114 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Stewartson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stewartson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.9%. The next largest groups are White (27.8%) and Hispanic (13.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Stewartson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.9% (62 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stewartson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (53.9%), White (27.8%), Hispanic (13.0%). 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 Stewartson (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 Stewartson mean?
A surname likely derived from the son of a person named Stewart. 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 Stewartson (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 Stewartson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.