2000
#4,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,386
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.74
Rare Last name
Stidham
An English occupational surname for someone who lived near a landing place or wharf.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,432 Americans carry the last name Stidham. That puts it at #4,679 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,649 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stidham 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
8.4K
1 in 40,649
Census rank
#4,679
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,353 bearers of the surname Stidham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4679th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stidham, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stidham
The surname "STIDHAM" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, specifically in the county of Staffordshire. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "stiddi" and "ham," meaning "a steep hill" and "homestead" respectively. Thus, the name likely referred to a homestead located on a steep hill or a person who resided in such a place.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Stiddeham." This entry suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
During the 13th century, various spellings of the name emerged, such as "Stiddehame," "Stidham," and "Stiddeham," reflecting the evolution of the English language and regional variations in pronunciation.
In the 14th century, records show a Thomas Stidham residing in the village of Leek, Staffordshire, in the year 1327. This is one of the earliest known individuals to bear the surname.
Another notable figure was John Stidham, a wealthy landowner from Staffordshire who lived in the late 15th century. His name appears in various legal documents and property records from the time.
During the 16th century, the surname spread beyond Staffordshire as people migrated to other parts of England. In 1587, a William Stidham was born in the village of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.
In the 17th century, the Stidham family had established a presence in Yorkshire, with the birth of Robert Stidham in the town of Ripon in 1623.
As the name continued to spread throughout England, it also found its way to other parts of the British Isles. In the late 18th century, a notable figure was John Stidham (1738-1815), a Scottish merchant and landowner who lived in Edinburgh.
During the 19th century, as emigration to the Americas increased, the Stidham surname began to appear in records in the United States and Canada. One of the earliest recorded individuals was James Stidham, who was born in Virginia in 1801.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stidham
Among Census respondents with the surname Stidham, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Stidham 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 Stidham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 6,629
- Two or more races4.6% · 341
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 194
- Black or African American1.3% · 96
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stidham
Stidham 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
#4,684
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,579
+193 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 2.57
Rank movement Down 247 places
2020
#4,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,353
-226 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 2.46
Rank movement Up 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,437 | 7,386 | 2.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,684 | 7,579 | 2.57 | +193 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 247 places |
| 2020 | #4,679 | 7,353 | 2.46 | -226 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 5 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 Stidham 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 | #4,684 | #4,679 | 0.1% |
| Count | 7,579 | 7,353 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.57 | 2.46 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stidham bearers went from 7,579 to 7,353 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,684 to #4,679.
FAQ
Stidham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stidham?
Name Census estimates that about 8,432 living Americans carry the surname Stidham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,649 residents.
How common is Stidham?
Stidham ranks #4,679 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,353 people with the surname Stidham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,432), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Stidham.
Has Stidham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stidham went from 7,579 recorded bearers to 7,353. That is a decrease of 226 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,684 to #4,679.
What does the Census say about the background of Stidham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stidham, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Stidham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (6,629 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stidham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Stidham (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 Stidham mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who lived near a landing place or wharf. 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 Stidham (2.46 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 Stidham?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.