Find out how popular the last name Stinson is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Stinson.

Stinson, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Stinson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Stinson in America

Stinson is the 1317th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Stinson surname appeared 26,681 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Stinson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Stinson to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Stinson

The surname Stinson is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is thought to be a locational surname, derived from the place name "Steinston" or "Stainton," which means "the stone town" or "the stony place" in Old English.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the late 12th century, appearing in various forms such as "de Steinston," "de Staynton," and "de Stainton." These early spellings reflect the evolving nature of English language and the variations in scribal recording of names during that time.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1199, which mention a "Willelmus de Steinston." This suggests that the family had already established itself in the region by the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the name appears in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire, where a "Robert de Steynton" is recorded as a landowner in the area. This provides evidence of the family's presence and influence in the northern counties during this period.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Stinson. One of the earliest was Sir Thomas Stinson (c. 1480-1545), a prominent English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1532. Another was John Stinson (1608-1661), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge.

In the 18th century, Robert Stinson (1736-1813) was a Scottish-born American soldier and surveyor who played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War. He was responsible for mapping and surveying large portions of the western frontier, contributing to the expansion of the United States.

Moving into the 19th century, Harry Stinson (1844-1912) was a renowned American architect who designed many iconic buildings in Chicago, including the Chicago Stock Exchange Building and the Auditorium Building.

More recently, Burt Stinson (1923-2004) was a Canadian businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of Calgary, Alberta. He founded the Burt Stinson Foundation, which supported various educational and charitable causes.

While these are just a few examples, the surname Stinson has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions throughout history, reflecting the broad reach and influence of this name originating from the northern counties of England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Stinson

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Stinson.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Stinson was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Stinson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Stinson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Stinson, please contact us.

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