2000
#7,368
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,168
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.55
Rare Last name
Stites
Derived from an Old English place name meaning "pasture or path" or from a reduced form of the given name "Eustace."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,766 Americans carry the last name Stites. That puts it at #7,681 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,917 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stites 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
4.8K
1 in 71,917
Census rank
#7,681
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,156 bearers of the surname Stites in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7681st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stites, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stites
The surname Stites originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "stith," meaning a steep or abrupt hill or slope. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near such a geographical feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Stide" in the county of Wiltshire. This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England.
By the 13th century, the name had evolved into various spellings, including Stites, Styte, and Styte. These variants can be found in various historical records from that period, such as the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire and the Feet of Fines for Essex.
In the 14th century, the name Stites began to appear in other parts of England, including Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. This suggests that the family had spread to different regions over time.
One notable figure bearing the name Stites was John Stites, a wealthy landowner from Buckinghamshire who lived in the late 15th century. Records indicate that he was involved in several legal disputes over property rights.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Stites family continued to thrive in various parts of England. William Stites (1562-1634) was a prominent merchant from London, while Robert Stites (1601-1679) was a successful farmer in Oxfordshire.
As the British Empire expanded, some members of the Stites family ventured to other parts of the world. In the late 18th century, Joseph Stites (1743-1822) emigrated from England to North America, where he settled in Pennsylvania and became a successful businessman.
Another notable figure was Sir Henry Stites (1784-1867), a British military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament for Southampton.
In the 19th century, the name Stites continued to be found in various locations across England, with concentrations in counties such as Wiltshire, Somerset, and Gloucestershire. Several individuals with this surname achieved recognition in fields such as law, medicine, and academia during this period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stites
Among Census respondents with the surname Stites, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Stites 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 Stites surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 3,645
- Two or more races4.6% · 190
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 185
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 78
- Black or African American0.8% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stites
Stites 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
#7,633
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,349
+181 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 265 places
2020
#7,681
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,156
-193 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,368 | 4,168 | 1.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,633 | 4,349 | 1.47 | +181 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 265 places |
| 2020 | #7,681 | 4,156 | 1.39 | -193 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 48 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 Stites 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 | #7,633 | #7,681 | -0.6% |
| Count | 4,349 | 4,156 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.47 | 1.39 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stites bearers went from 4,349 to 4,156 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,633 to #7,681.
FAQ
Stites surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stites?
Name Census estimates that about 4,766 living Americans carry the surname Stites. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,917 residents.
How common is Stites?
Stites ranks #7,681 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.39 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 4,156 people with the surname Stites. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,766), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.39 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 Stites.
Has Stites become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stites went from 4,349 recorded bearers to 4,156. That is a decrease of 193 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,633 to #7,681.
What does the Census say about the background of Stites?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stites, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Stites in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (3,645 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stites appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Stites (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 Stites mean?
Derived from an Old English place name meaning "pasture or path" or from a reduced form of the given name "Eustace." 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 Stites (1.39 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 Stites?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.