2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Stiwinter
A surname derived from a combination of words potentially meaning "steep winter" or "stiff winter."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Stiwinter. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stiwinter 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Stiwinter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stiwinter, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.1%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stiwinter
The surname Stiwinter has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "stiwin," meaning "strong" or "sturdy," and the word "ter," which was a common suffix used to denote occupation or location. Thus, the name Stiwinter may have initially referred to someone who lived in a place known for its strength or fortitude.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Stiwinter can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Wittenberg, dating back to 1567. These records mention a certain Hans Stiwinter, who was a prominent citizen of the town at the time.
In the 17th century, the name Stiwinter appeared in various historical documents from the region of Saxony-Anhalt, particularly in the town of Halle. A notable figure was Johannes Stiwinter (1620-1688), a respected theologian and professor at the University of Halle.
The 18th century saw the spread of the Stiwinter name across other parts of Germany. In the town of Braunschweig, there lived a family of merchants and traders who carried the Stiwinter name. The most prominent among them was Carl Friedrich Stiwinter (1742-1815), a successful businessman and philanthropist.
As the 19th century dawned, the Stiwinter family had established itself in various regions of Germany. One notable figure was Wilhelm Stiwinter (1805-1879), a renowned architect from Berlin who designed several iconic buildings in the city, including the Alte Nationalgalerie.
In the late 19th century, a branch of the Stiwinter family migrated to the United States, where they settled in the Midwest. One of the earliest recorded instances of this was a certain Johann Stiwinter (1848-1912), who arrived in Chicago in the 1870s and became a successful businessman in the city.
Throughout the centuries, the Stiwinter name has been associated with various professions and fields, from academia and theology to architecture and business. While the name may have evolved in its spelling and pronunciation over time, its roots remain firmly grounded in the German language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stiwinter
Among Census respondents with the surname Stiwinter, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.1%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Stiwinter 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 Stiwinter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 104
- Two or more races6.1% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stiwinter
Stiwinter 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+8 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,760 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-15 bearers (-11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,116 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 1,760 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.6%) | Down 15,116 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 Stiwinter 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 | #131,379 | #146,495 | -11.5% |
| Count | 129 | 114 | -11.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stiwinter bearers went from 129 to 114 (-11.6% change). The surname moved down 15,116 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #146,495.
FAQ
Stiwinter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stiwinter?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Stiwinter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Stiwinter?
Stiwinter ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 114 people with the surname Stiwinter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Stiwinter.
Has Stiwinter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stiwinter went from 129 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Stiwinter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stiwinter, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.1%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Stiwinter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stiwinter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Two or More Races (6.1%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Stiwinter (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 Stiwinter mean?
A surname derived from a combination of words potentially meaning "steep winter" or "stiff winter." 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 Stiwinter (0.04 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 common is the surname Stiwinter?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Stiwinter at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.