2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Stimphil
A portmanteau surname blending "stimulus" and "philosophy".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Stimphil. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stimphil 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Stimphil in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stimphil, the largest self-reported group is Black at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.6%) and White (7.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stimphil
The surname "STIMPHIL" is believed to have originated in the coastal region of Brittany, France during the 12th century. It is derived from the Old Breton words "stim" meaning "sturdy" and "phil" meaning "friend," suggesting that the name was initially bestowed upon someone who was considered a loyal and dependable companion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Cartulaire de Redon, a medieval cartulary compiled by the monks of the Abbey of Redon in Brittany. In this text, a certain "Guillelmus Stimphil" is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in the year 1187.
During the 13th century, the name appears to have spread to England, likely due to the Norman conquest and subsequent migration of Breton settlers. In the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, a record of tax payments, a "Robert Stymphyll" is listed as a landowner in the village of Winchcombe in 1268.
In the 14th century, variations of the name began to emerge, such as "Stymphill" and "Stymphyll." One notable figure from this period was Sir John Stymphyll, a knight who fought alongside Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. He was born around 1320 and is recorded as having participated in the Battle of Crécy in 1346.
The 15th century saw the name gain further prominence, with a branch of the family establishing itself in the county of Somerset. In the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence from the Paston family, a "William Stymphyll" is mentioned as a lawyer and advisor to the Pastons in the year 1472.
By the 16th century, the spelling had largely settled on the modern form of "STIMPHIL." One notable figure from this era was Sir Robert Stimphil, a courtier and diplomat who served under Queen Elizabeth I. He was born in 1542 and is known to have been involved in negotiations with the Spanish during the Anglo-Spanish War.
Throughout the centuries, the name has been associated with various locations in England and France, including the villages of Stemphil in Dorset and Stymphall in Shropshire, both of which may have derived their names from early bearers of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stimphil
Among Census respondents with the surname Stimphil, the largest self-reported group is Black at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.6%) and White (7.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Stimphil 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 Stimphil surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American80.0% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino8.6% · 9
- White7.6% · 8
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stimphil
Stimphil appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-6 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,642 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 4,642 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 Stimphil 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 | #148,347 | #152,989 | -3.1% |
| Count | 111 | 105 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stimphil bearers went from 111 to 105 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 4,642 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #152,989.
FAQ
Stimphil surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stimphil?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Stimphil. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Stimphil?
Stimphil ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Stimphil. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Stimphil.
Has Stimphil become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stimphil went from 111 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Stimphil?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stimphil, the largest self-reported group is Black at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.6%) and White (7.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Stimphil in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (84 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stimphil appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (80.0%), Hispanic (8.6%), White (7.6%). 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 Stimphil (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 Stimphil mean?
A portmanteau surname blending "stimulus" and "philosophy". 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 Stimphil (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 people share the surname Stimphil?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.