2000
#11,645
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,470
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Stice
An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of sticks or wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,798 Americans carry the last name Stice. That puts it at #12,185 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,500 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stice 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
2.8K
1 in 122,500
Census rank
#12,185
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,440 bearers of the surname Stice in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12185th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stice, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stice
The surname STICE is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Old English word "stice," which referred to a small stick or a twig. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, given to someone who worked with sticks or twigs, such as a maker of baskets or woven goods.
In the early records, the name appeared with various spellings, including Styce, Styce, Stise, and Styse, reflecting the inconsistencies in written English during that time. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a John Styce is listed.
The STICE surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire in the West Midlands region of England. Some historical figures bearing this name include John Styce (born around 1550), a landowner in Worcestershire, and William Stice (1608-1680), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol.
In the 17th century, the name STICE also found its way into the records of the American colonies. One notable example is Robert Stice (1635-1707), who emigrated from England to Virginia in the 1650s and became a successful planter and landowner.
Another historically significant individual with this surname was Samuel Stice (1769-1845), a soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a prominent farmer and landowner in Ohio.
During the 19th century, the STICE surname gained further recognition with individuals like William Stice (1807-1865), a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a judge in Illinois, and John Stice (1825-1902), a respected educator and author who founded several schools in Missouri.
Throughout its history, the STICE surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, merchants, soldiers, lawyers, and educators. While its origins may be humble, the name has endured and become a part of the rich tapestry of English and American history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stice
Among Census respondents with the surname Stice, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Stice 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 Stice surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 2,154
- Two or more races4.9% · 120
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 90
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- Black or African American0.6% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stice
Stice 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
#11,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,721
+251 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 92 places
2020
#12,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,440
-281 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 632 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,645 | 2,470 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,553 | 2,721 | 0.92 | +251 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 92 places |
| 2020 | #12,185 | 2,440 | 0.82 | -281 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 632 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 Stice 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 | #11,553 | #12,185 | -5.5% |
| Count | 2,721 | 2,440 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.82 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stice bearers went from 2,721 to 2,440 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 632 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,553 to #12,185.
FAQ
Stice surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stice?
Name Census estimates that about 2,798 living Americans carry the surname Stice. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,500 residents.
How common is Stice?
Stice ranks #12,185 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,440 people with the surname Stice. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,798), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Stice.
Has Stice become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stice went from 2,721 recorded bearers to 2,440. That is a decrease of 281 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,553 to #12,185.
What does the Census say about the background of Stice?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stice, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Stice in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (2,154 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stice appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Stice (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 Stice mean?
An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of sticks or wood. 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 Stice (0.82 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 have the surname Stice?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.