2000
#4,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,304
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.71
Rare Last name
Stillwell
A habitational surname referring to someone who lived near a peaceful or motionless spring or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,637 Americans carry the last name Stillwell. That puts it at #5,102 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,881 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stillwell 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Stillwell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.6K
1 in 44,881
Census rank
#5,102
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,660 bearers of the surname Stillwell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5102nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stillwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stillwell
The surname Stillwell originated in England during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "stille" meaning quiet or calm, and "well" referring to a water source, likely indicating that the name initially referred to someone who lived near a peaceful or tranquil well or spring.
The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th century, appearing in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk in 1273 as "William atte Stillewelle." This early spelling suggests the name may have been topographic in origin, describing someone who lived near a "still well."
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms such as "Styluuelle" and "Stillewelle" in records from Essex and Suffolk. The Stillwell surname was also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327, indicating its presence in southern England during this time.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the Stillwell surname was John Stillwell, a member of the Drapers' Company in London, who was born around 1480. Another early record is that of Richard Stillwell, a merchant from Bristol, who was mentioned in a court case in 1555.
During the 17th century, the Stillwell family established itself in the American colonies. George Stillwell, born in 1602 in Somerset, England, immigrated to Massachusetts in 1635 and became one of the founders of the town of Ipswich. His descendants went on to settle in various parts of New England and the Mid-Atlantic states.
Another notable figure was Samuel Stillwell, born in 1702 in New Jersey, who served as a captain in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He fought in several battles, including the Battle of Monmouth in 1778.
In the 19th century, Benjamin Stillwell, born in 1803 in New York, was a prominent businessman and landowner in Ohio. He was involved in the development of the Miami and Erie Canal and served as a state senator.
The Stillwell name has also been associated with various localities, such as Stillwell, Oklahoma, which was named after a local settler, and Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, named after Reverend Silas M. Stillwell, a 19th-century Methodist minister.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stillwell
Among Census respondents with the surname Stillwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Stillwell 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 Stillwell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.5% · 5,561
- Black or African American7.1% · 475
- Two or more races4.7% · 310
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 192
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stillwell
Stillwell 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
#4,883
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,211
-93 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 2.44
Rank movement Down 419 places
2020
#5,102
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,660
-551 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 2.23
Rank movement Down 219 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,464 | 7,304 | 2.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,883 | 7,211 | 2.44 | -93 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 419 places |
| 2020 | #5,102 | 6,660 | 2.23 | -551 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 219 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 Stillwell 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 | #4,883 | #5,102 | -4.5% |
| Count | 7,211 | 6,660 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.44 | 2.23 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stillwell bearers went from 7,211 to 6,660 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 219 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,883 to #5,102.
FAQ
Stillwell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stillwell?
Name Census estimates that about 7,637 living Americans carry the surname Stillwell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,881 residents.
How common is Stillwell?
Stillwell ranks #5,102 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.23 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 6,660 people with the surname Stillwell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,637), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.23 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 Stillwell.
Has Stillwell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stillwell went from 7,211 recorded bearers to 6,660. That is a decrease of 551 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,883 to #5,102.
What does the Census say about the background of Stillwell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stillwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Stillwell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.5% (5,561 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stillwell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.5%), Black (7.1%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Stillwell (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 Stillwell mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone who lived near a peaceful or motionless spring or stream. 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 Stillwell (2.23 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 Stillwell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.