2000
#10,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,963
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Stier
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "stier," meaning "bull" or "steer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,330 Americans carry the last name Stier. That puts it at #10,534 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 102,929 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stier 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
3.3K
1 in 102,929
Census rank
#10,534
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,904 bearers of the surname Stier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10534th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stier, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stier
The surname Stier has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have been derived from the German word "Stier," which means "bull" or "ox." This surname likely emerged as a descriptive name given to someone who possessed physical characteristics resembling a bull, such as strength or stubbornness.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Stier can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries, particularly in regions of present-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. One notable mention is in the Weingartner Codex, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 13th century, which includes a reference to a person named "Conradus Stier."
In the 15th century, the name Stier appeared in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Stier was listed as a citizen in 1425. This suggests that the name had already gained prominence in urban centers during that period.
As the centuries passed, the Stier surname spread across various regions of Europe, with variations in spelling emerging due to local dialects and scribal errors. Some of these variations included Styer, Stiehr, and Styr.
One notable individual bearing the Stier surname was Johann Stier, a German Protestant theologian and philosopher who lived from 1813 to 1862. He was a prominent figure in the field of biblical hermeneutics and authored several influential works on the interpretation of sacred texts.
Another famous bearer of the Stier name was Rudolf Stier, a German Protestant pastor and writer who lived from 1800 to 1862. He is best known for his comprehensive commentary on the words of Jesus, titled "Die Reden des Herrn Jesu" (The Words of the Lord Jesus).
In the 19th century, the Stier surname also gained recognition in the field of art and literature. Karl Stier-Somlo (1856-1925) was an Austrian painter and illustrator renowned for his landscape paintings and illustrations for various literary works.
Moving into the 20th century, one notable figure with the Stier surname was Hans Stier, a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). He served as a member of the Bundestag (the German federal parliament) from 1949 to 1965.
Throughout its history, the surname Stier has been associated with various professions and fields, from theology and philosophy to art and politics. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, the name has since spread across the globe, carried by individuals of diverse backgrounds and achievements.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stier
Among Census respondents with the surname Stier, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Stier 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 Stier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 2,688
- Two or more races3.3% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 18
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stier
Stier 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
#10,150
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,178
+215 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 116 places
2020
#10,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,904
-274 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 384 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,034 | 2,963 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,150 | 3,178 | 1.08 | +215 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 116 places |
| 2020 | #10,534 | 2,904 | 0.97 | -274 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 384 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 Stier 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 | #10,150 | #10,534 | -3.8% |
| Count | 3,178 | 2,904 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 0.97 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stier bearers went from 3,178 to 2,904 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 384 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,150 to #10,534.
FAQ
Stier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stier?
Name Census estimates that about 3,330 living Americans carry the surname Stier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 102,929 residents.
How common is Stier?
Stier ranks #10,534 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,904 people with the surname Stier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,330), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Stier.
Has Stier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stier went from 3,178 recorded bearers to 2,904. That is a decrease of 274 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,150 to #10,534.
What does the Census say about the background of Stier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stier, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Stier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (2,688 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Stier (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 Stier mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "stier," meaning "bull" or "steer." 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 Stier (0.97 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 are called Stier?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Stier on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.