2000
#27,085
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 841
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.31
Very Rare Last name
Stires
A locational surname referring to someone from Stires or Stiris, areas in Belgium.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 983 Americans carry the last name Stires. That puts it at #29,392 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 348,682 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stires 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
983
1 in 348,682
Census rank
#29,392
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
857
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 857 bearers of the surname Stires in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 29392nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stires, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stires
The surname STIRES has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval era. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "stir," which means "stirrer" or "mover." This suggests that the name was initially assigned to someone whose occupation involved stirring or agitating materials, perhaps in a brewery or kitchen setting.
The earliest recorded instances of the name STIRES can be found in historical records from the counties of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands region of England. Some of the earliest known bearers of this name include John Stires, who was documented in the Subsidy Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1327, and William Stires, recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1379.
During the 16th century, the STIRES surname appeared in various spellings, such as Styres, Styeres, and Styers, reflecting the flexible nature of name spellings in those times. One notable individual from this period was Richard Styres, a landowner from Lincolnshire, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines records in 1558.
As the name spread across England, it also found its way into historical documents in other regions. For instance, in the 17th century, the STIRES surname was recorded in the parish registers of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire, where a family bearing this name resided.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the STIRES surname. One such person was John Stires, a prominent merchant from London, who was born in 1685 and became a respected figure in the city's trade circles. Another was William Stires (1728-1802), a renowned clockmaker from Lincolnshire, whose timepieces were highly sought after during the 18th century.
In the 19th century, the STIRES surname gained further recognition with individuals like Henry Stires (1806-1878), a successful industrialist from Nottinghamshire, and Mary Stires (1843-1921), a pioneering educator who established several schools in the East Midlands region.
While the STIRES surname may not have been as widespread as some other English surnames, it has left an indelible mark on the history and culture of various regions within England, particularly in the East Midlands area where it originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stires
Among Census respondents with the surname Stires, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Stires 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 Stires surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 773
- Two or more races4.3% · 37
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 30
- Black or African American1.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stires
Stires 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
#30,767
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 757
-84 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Down 3,682 places
2020
#29,392
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 857
+100 bearers (+13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Up 1,375 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,085 | 841 | 0.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,767 | 757 | 0.26 | -84 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 3,682 places |
| 2020 | #29,392 | 857 | 0.29 | +100 bearers (+13.2%) | Up 1,375 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 Stires 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 | #30,767 | #29,392 | 4.5% |
| Count | 757 | 857 | 13.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.26 | 0.29 | 10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stires bearers went from 757 to 857 (+13.2% change). The surname moved up 1,375 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,767 to #29,392.
FAQ
Stires surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stires?
Name Census estimates that about 983 living Americans carry the surname Stires. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 348,682 residents.
How common is Stires?
Stires ranks #29,392 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.29 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 857 people with the surname Stires. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (983), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.29 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 Stires.
Has Stires become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stires went from 757 recorded bearers to 857. That is an increase of 100 (+13.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #30,767 to #29,392.
What does the Census say about the background of Stires?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stires, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Stires in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (773 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stires appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Stires (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 Stires mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Stires or Stiris, areas in Belgium. 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 Stires (0.29 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 Stires?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.