2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Stienbarger
A surname originating from a geographic location or topographic feature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Stienbarger. 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 Stienbarger 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 Stienbarger 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 Stienbarger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stienbarger
The surname STIENBARGER originated in Germany during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the German words "stein" meaning stone and "berger" meaning mountaineer or quarryman, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have worked in stone quarries or resided near mountainous regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the STIENBARGER surname can be traced back to the 16th century in the German state of Bavaria. In 1542, a document from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber mentions a certain Hans STIENBARGER, a stonemason by trade. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region at that time.
In the 17th century, the name STIENBARGER began to appear in various records across other parts of Germany, including the states of Saxony and Hesse. For example, in 1628, a man named Johann STIENBARGER was born in the town of Eisenach, which was then part of the Duchy of Saxe-Eisenach.
As the centuries progressed, the STIENBARGER surname spread beyond Germany's borders. In the late 18th century, a family by the name of STIENBARGER emigrated from the Palatinate region of Germany to the United States, settling in Pennsylvania. One notable member of this family was Johann Georg STIENBARGER (1765-1840), who served in the American Revolutionary War.
Another prominent figure bearing the STIENBARGER name was Friedrich Wilhelm STIENBARGER (1798-1872), a German botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in the Harz Mountains region of central Germany.
In the 19th century, the STIENBARGER surname also found its way to other parts of the world, including Australia. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in Australia was that of Johann STIENBARGER (1824-1892), who arrived in the colony of South Australia in 1849 and later became a successful farmer and landowner.
While the STIENBARGER name may have evolved slightly in spelling over time, with variations such as STEINBEGER or STEINBERGER appearing in some records, its core meaning and derivation from the German words for stone and mountaineer have remained consistent throughout its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stienbarger
Among Census respondents with the surname Stienbarger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Stienbarger 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 Stienbarger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 110
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stienbarger
Stienbarger 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-5 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,698 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,616 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 13,698 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 1,616 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 Stienbarger 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 | #144,141 | #145,757 | -1.1% |
| Count | 115 | 115 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stienbarger bearers went from 115 to 115 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 1,616 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #145,757.
FAQ
Stienbarger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stienbarger?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Stienbarger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Stienbarger?
Stienbarger 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 Stienbarger. 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 Stienbarger.
Has Stienbarger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stienbarger went from 115 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Stienbarger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stienbarger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Stienbarger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stienbarger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Black (0.9%). 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 Stienbarger (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 Stienbarger mean?
A surname originating from a geographic location or topographic feature. 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 Stienbarger (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 Stienbarger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.