2000
#6,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,033
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.87
Rare Last name
Stith
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a pigsty or on steep or rocky land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,968 Americans carry the last name Stith. That puts it at #6,292 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,432 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stith 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
6.0K
1 in 57,432
Census rank
#6,292
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,204 bearers of the surname Stith in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6292nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stith, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.3%. The next largest groups are Black (45.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stith
The surname Stith is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is likely derived from the Old English word "stith," which means "anvil" or "forge." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname used to identify someone who worked as a blacksmith or metalsmith.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Stith can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Stith" and "Stithe," indicating its longstanding presence in the country.
The name Stith has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was John Stith (1608-1648), an early colonial settler in Virginia who served as a member of the House of Burgesses, the legislative body of the Virginia Colony. Another prominent figure was William Stith (1689-1755), a historian and president of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.
In England, the name was particularly prevalent in certain regions, such as Norfolk and Suffolk, where surnames with occupational origins were common. The village of Stiffkey in Norfolk may have derived its name from a variation of the surname Stith, reflecting the presence of families bearing this name in the area.
Other notable individuals with the surname Stith include Sarah Stith (1747-1820), an American poet and playwright, and James Hogue Stith (1840-1910), a Confederate soldier and lawyer from Virginia. Additionally, Whitten Stith (1824-1905) was a prominent banker and businessman from Mississippi.
While the surname Stith has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States and other English-speaking countries, as a result of migration and settlement patterns. However, its origins can be traced back to the occupational and linguistic traditions of medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stith
Among Census respondents with the surname Stith, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.3%. The next largest groups are Black (45.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Stith 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 Stith surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.3% · 2,408
- Black or African American45.4% · 2,363
- Two or more races4.2% · 219
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 172
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stith
Stith 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
#6,396
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,319
+286 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.80
Rank movement Down 146 places
2020
#6,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,204
-115 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Up 104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,250 | 5,033 | 1.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,396 | 5,319 | 1.80 | +286 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 146 places |
| 2020 | #6,292 | 5,204 | 1.74 | -115 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 104 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 Stith 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 | #6,396 | #6,292 | 1.6% |
| Count | 5,319 | 5,204 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.80 | 1.74 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stith bearers went from 5,319 to 5,204 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 104 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,396 to #6,292.
FAQ
Stith surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stith?
Name Census estimates that about 5,968 living Americans carry the surname Stith. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,432 residents.
How common is Stith?
Stith ranks #6,292 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,204 people with the surname Stith. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,968), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Stith.
Has Stith become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stith went from 5,319 recorded bearers to 5,204. That is a decrease of 115 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,396 to #6,292.
What does the Census say about the background of Stith?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stith, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.3%. The next largest groups are Black (45.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Stith in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.3% (2,408 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stith appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (46.3%), Black (45.4%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Stith (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 Stith mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a pigsty or on steep or rocky land. 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 Stith (1.74 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 Stith?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.