2000
#8,063
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,791
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.41
Rare Last name
Stiffler
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of boots.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,133 Americans carry the last name Stiffler. That puts it at #8,735 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,931 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stiffler 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
4.1K
1 in 82,931
Census rank
#8,735
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,604 bearers of the surname Stiffler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8735th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stiffler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stiffler
The surname Stiffler is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the late Middle Ages or early modern period. It may have derived from the German word "Stiffel," meaning "boot" or "spur," suggesting a potential occupational connection to shoemaking or horseback riding professions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Stiffler surname appears in the 16th century, in the town of Eisenach, located in present-day Thuringia, Germany. The name was spelled "Stiffler" in these early records, indicating a consistent spelling over time.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Stiffler name began to spread across various regions of Germany, with mentions in various church and municipal records. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Johann Stiffler (1605-1673), a prominent Lutheran theologian and educator from Saxony, and Friedrich Stiffler (1720-1792), a celebrated composer and organist from Nuremberg.
As German emigration increased in the 19th century, the Stiffler surname found its way to other parts of the world, including North America and other European countries. Among the early Stiffler immigrants to the United States was Johann Stiffler, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1749, settling in the region known as the Pennsylvania Dutch Country.
Another notable figure with the Stiffler surname was Karl Stiffler (1877-1945), a German-born architect who played a significant role in the development of modern architecture in Austria and Germany during the early 20th century.
While the Stiffler surname may have its roots in an occupational or geographical context, it has since become an established family name carried by individuals across various walks of life and nationalities, with a rich history spanning several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stiffler
Among Census respondents with the surname Stiffler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Stiffler 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 Stiffler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 3,323
- Two or more races3.7% · 134
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 88
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 35
- Black or African American0.4% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stiffler
Stiffler 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
#8,091
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,098
+307 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 28 places
2020
#8,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,604
-494 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 644 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,063 | 3,791 | 1.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,091 | 4,098 | 1.39 | +307 bearers (+8.1%) | Down 28 places |
| 2020 | #8,735 | 3,604 | 1.21 | -494 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 644 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 Stiffler 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 | #8,091 | #8,735 | -8.0% |
| Count | 4,098 | 3,604 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.21 | -13.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stiffler bearers went from 4,098 to 3,604 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 644 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,091 to #8,735.
FAQ
Stiffler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stiffler?
Name Census estimates that about 4,133 living Americans carry the surname Stiffler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,931 residents.
How common is Stiffler?
Stiffler ranks #8,735 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.21 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 3,604 people with the surname Stiffler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.21 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 Stiffler.
Has Stiffler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stiffler went from 4,098 recorded bearers to 3,604. That is a decrease of 494 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,091 to #8,735.
What does the Census say about the background of Stiffler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stiffler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Stiffler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (3,323 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stiffler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Stiffler (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 Stiffler mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of boots. 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 Stiffler (1.21 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 Stiffler?
See how common the surname Stiffler is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.