2000
#8,576
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,536
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.31
Rare Last name
Stiltner
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "stelzener," meaning a person who walks on stilts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,023 Americans carry the last name Stiltner. That puts it at #8,951 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,199 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stiltner 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
4.0K
1 in 85,199
Census rank
#8,951
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,508 bearers of the surname Stiltner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8951st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stiltner, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stiltner
The surname Stiltner originated in Germany, likely in the late 16th or early 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Stilt," which refers to a type of long, wooden pole used for walking over marshy or flooded areas. The name may have initially been given as an occupational surname to someone who worked constructing or using stilts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Stiltner surname appears in a parish record from the town of Schriesheim, located in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, dated 1612. This record mentions a Johann Stiltner, who was a local farmer and landowner.
In the 18th century, the Stiltner name can be found in various church and municipal records across southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Baden and Württemberg. Some of these records include the birth of Maria Stiltner in Karlsruhe in 1734 and the marriage of Johannes Stiltner and Anna Maria Schmitt in Heidelberg in 1762.
As German immigrants began to settle in North America in the 19th century, the Stiltner surname made its way to the United States and Canada. One of the earliest known Stiltners in America was Jacob Stiltner, born in 1796 in Pennsylvania to German immigrant parents.
Notable individuals with the Stiltner surname include:
1. Johann Stiltner (c. 1585-1648), a wealthy landowner and vintner from the town of Schriesheim, Baden-Württemberg.
2. Maria Stiltner (1734-1802), a skilled weaver and seamstress from Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg.
3. Johannes Stiltner (1738-1811), a respected baker and innkeeper in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg.
4. Jacob Stiltner (1796-1872), an early German-American settler in Pennsylvania and founder of the Stiltner family in the United States.
5. William Stiltner (1824-1898), a prominent farmer and community leader in Fairfield County, Ohio, who served as a township trustee and on the local school board.
While the Stiltner surname may have originated from a humble occupational meaning, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and multiple regions, with many notable individuals bearing the name throughout the years.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stiltner
Among Census respondents with the surname Stiltner, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Stiltner 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 Stiltner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 3,331
- Two or more races3.2% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 39
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stiltner
Stiltner 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
#8,834
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,709
+173 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 258 places
2020
#8,951
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,508
-201 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 117 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,576 | 3,536 | 1.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,834 | 3,709 | 1.26 | +173 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 258 places |
| 2020 | #8,951 | 3,508 | 1.17 | -201 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 117 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 Stiltner 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 | #8,834 | #8,951 | -1.3% |
| Count | 3,709 | 3,508 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.17 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stiltner bearers went from 3,709 to 3,508 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 117 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,834 to #8,951.
FAQ
Stiltner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stiltner?
Name Census estimates that about 4,023 living Americans carry the surname Stiltner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,199 residents.
How common is Stiltner?
Stiltner ranks #8,951 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,508 people with the surname Stiltner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,023), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Stiltner.
Has Stiltner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stiltner went from 3,709 recorded bearers to 3,508. That is a decrease of 201 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,834 to #8,951.
What does the Census say about the background of Stiltner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stiltner, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.1%). 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 Stiltner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (3,331 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stiltner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (1.1%). 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 Stiltner (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 Stiltner mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "stelzener," meaning a person who walks on stilts. 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 Stiltner (1.17 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 Stiltner?
Find out how many people have the surname Stiltner on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.