2000
#10,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,693
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Stimpson
Derived from the personal name "Stephen" combined with the diminutive suffix "-son," indicating "son of Stephen."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,195 Americans carry the last name Stimpson. That puts it at #10,923 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,278 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stimpson 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 Stimpson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 107,278
Census rank
#10,923
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,786 bearers of the surname Stimpson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10923rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stimpson, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stimpson
The surname Stimpson is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational surname, derived from a place name or a landmark feature. One theory suggests that the name is derived from the Old English word "stimp," meaning a stump or a tree trunk, combined with the suffix "-son," which denotes "son of." This would indicate that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a prominent stump or tree trunk.
Another possible origin of the name is that it could be a variation of the surname "Stevenson," which has a similar pronunciation. Stevenson is a well-known surname that originated in Scotland and is derived from the given name "Steven" or "Stevin," meaning "crown" or "garland."
Historical records indicate that the Stimpson surname appears in various medieval documents and records, although specific references are scarce. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1221, where a person named William Stimpson is mentioned.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire, where a John Stimpson is listed as a taxpayer. This suggests that the Stimpson family had established themselves in the region by that time.
Notable individuals with the surname Stimpson include:
1. William Stimpson (1832-1872), an American naturalist and zoologist known for his contributions to the study of marine invertebrates.
2. Henry Adolphus Stimpson (1837-1892), an English Anglican bishop who served as the Bishop of Huron in Canada.
3. Katharine Stimpson (born 1936), an American feminist scholar and academic who has written extensively on women's studies and gender issues.
4. Edwin Stimpson (1888-1971), an American actor and theater director who had a successful career on Broadway and in Hollywood films.
5. Reverend John Stimpson (1820-1891), an English clergyman and author who wrote several books on religious subjects.
While the Stimpson surname is not among the most common surnames, it has a long history and can be traced back to various parts of England, particularly in the regions of Gloucestershire and Cambridgeshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stimpson
Among Census respondents with the surname Stimpson, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Stimpson 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 Stimpson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.3% · 2,236
- Black or African American11.7% · 326
- Two or more races3.6% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stimpson
Stimpson 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
#11,092
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,862
+169 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 229 places
2020
#10,923
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,786
-76 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Up 169 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,863 | 2,693 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,092 | 2,862 | 0.97 | +169 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 229 places |
| 2020 | #10,923 | 2,786 | 0.93 | -76 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 169 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 Stimpson 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 | #11,092 | #10,923 | 1.5% |
| Count | 2,862 | 2,786 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.93 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stimpson bearers went from 2,862 to 2,786 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 169 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,092 to #10,923.
FAQ
Stimpson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stimpson?
Name Census estimates that about 3,195 living Americans carry the surname Stimpson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,278 residents.
How common is Stimpson?
Stimpson ranks #10,923 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 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 2,786 people with the surname Stimpson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,195), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 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 Stimpson.
Has Stimpson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stimpson went from 2,862 recorded bearers to 2,786. That is a decrease of 76 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,092 to #10,923.
What does the Census say about the background of Stimpson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stimpson, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Stimpson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.3% (2,236 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stimpson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.3%), Black (11.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Stimpson (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 Stimpson mean?
Derived from the personal name "Stephen" combined with the diminutive suffix "-son," indicating "son of Stephen." 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 Stimpson (0.93 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 common is the surname Stimpson?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Stimpson at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.