2000
#7,354
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,174
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.55
Rare Last name
Stivers
An occupational surname for a clerk or steward, derived from an Old English term meaning "accountant" or "administrator."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,589 Americans carry the last name Stivers. That puts it at #7,945 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,690 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stivers 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
4.6K
1 in 74,690
Census rank
#7,945
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,002 bearers of the surname Stivers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7945th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stivers, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stivers
The surname Stivers originated in Germany and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old German word "stieben" which means "to scatter or disperse". The name likely referred to an occupation such as a miller or thresher, someone who scattered grain or flour.
The earliest known record of the name appears in a German parish register from 1285, where it was spelled "Stieber". Similar spellings from that time include "Styver", "Stiver", and "Stivers". These variations likely emerged due to local dialects and regional pronunciations.
In the 16th century, the name Stivers began appearing in records from the Netherlands and parts of Belgium, suggesting that some bearers of the name had migrated from Germany to these regions. One notable early bearer was Hendrick Stivers, a merchant from Amsterdam born in 1543.
The Stivers name first appeared in England in the late 17th century, likely brought over by German or Dutch immigrants. A record from 1698 in London mentions a Thomas Stivers, a brewer. Around this time, the name was also sometimes anglicized to "Stivers" or "Styvers".
In colonial America, one of the earliest recorded Stivers was Jacob Stivers, who emigrated from Germany and settled in Pennsylvania in the early 1700s. His descendants spread throughout the American colonies and later the United States.
Other notable people with the Stivers surname include:
- Henry Stivers (1830-1915), an American businessman and philanthropist from Ohio.
- John Stivers (1835-1899), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War.
- Mary Stivers (1872-1946), an American educator and social activist from Indiana.
- William Stivers (1877-1965), an American judge and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Ohio.
- Albert Stivers (1895-1975), an American baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stivers
Among Census respondents with the surname Stivers, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Stivers 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 Stivers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 3,571
- Two or more races4.4% · 177
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 105
- Black or African American2.3% · 94
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stivers
Stivers 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
#7,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,412
+238 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.50
Rank movement Down 180 places
2020
#7,945
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,002
-410 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 411 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,354 | 4,174 | 1.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,534 | 4,412 | 1.50 | +238 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 180 places |
| 2020 | #7,945 | 4,002 | 1.34 | -410 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 411 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 Stivers 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 | #7,534 | #7,945 | -5.5% |
| Count | 4,412 | 4,002 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.50 | 1.34 | -10.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stivers bearers went from 4,412 to 4,002 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 411 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,534 to #7,945.
FAQ
Stivers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stivers?
Name Census estimates that about 4,589 living Americans carry the surname Stivers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,690 residents.
How common is Stivers?
Stivers ranks #7,945 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.34 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 4,002 people with the surname Stivers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,589), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.34 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 Stivers.
Has Stivers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stivers went from 4,412 recorded bearers to 4,002. That is a decrease of 410 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,534 to #7,945.
What does the Census say about the background of Stivers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stivers, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Stivers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (3,571 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stivers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Stivers (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 Stivers mean?
An occupational surname for a clerk or steward, derived from an Old English term meaning "accountant" or "administrator." 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 Stivers (1.34 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 Americans have the surname Stivers?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.