2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Stockfish
A surname derived from the German term for dried fish, often relating to an ancestor's occupation or trade.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Stockfish. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stockfish 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Stockfish in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stockfish, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.9%) and Black (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stockfish
The surname Stockfish has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the late Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the northern coastal regions of Germany, where the stockfish, a type of dried and salted fish, was a staple food item.
The name is derived from the German words "Stock" meaning "stick" or "dried," and "Fisch" meaning "fish." It likely referred to someone who worked with or traded in stockfish, a preserved fish product that was an important source of protein and a valuable commodity in those times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Stockfish can be found in the records of the Hanseatic League, a powerful medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe. In the 14th century, a merchant named Hans Stockfish is mentioned in the league's records, indicating the name's usage during that era.
The Stockfish surname is also found in various historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries, such as tax records, court proceedings, and church registers from the northern German states and the Netherlands. This suggests that the name had spread across these regions, possibly due to the trade of stockfish and the migration of people involved in the industry.
One notable bearer of the Stockfish name was Johann Stockfish, a German theologian and preacher who lived from 1525 to 1597. He was a prominent figure during the Protestant Reformation and served as a minister in the city of Lübeck, a major Hanseatic trading center.
Another individual with the Stockfish surname was Peter Stockfish, a Dutch merchant and trader who lived in the 17th century. He was involved in the lucrative stockfish trade between the Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries, and his name appears in various commercial records from that time.
In the 18th century, a family of Stockfishs settled in the German town of Oldenburg, where they became successful merchants and landowners. One member, Heinrich Stockfish (1720-1789), was a prominent businessman and served as a local magistrate.
The name Stockfish can also be found in some historical records from the British Isles, likely due to the migration of German and Dutch traders and settlers. For instance, there are records of a William Stockfish, a merchant from Hamburg who lived in London in the late 17th century and was involved in the import of stockfish and other goods.
Over the centuries, the Stockfish surname has been subject to various spelling variations, such as Stockfisch, Stockvisch, and Stockfysch, reflecting regional dialects and language shifts. However, the core meaning and origin have remained consistent, rooted in the historical trade and production of stockfish in northern Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stockfish
Among Census respondents with the surname Stockfish, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.9%) and Black (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Stockfish 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 Stockfish surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.1% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino10.9% · 12
- Black or African American3.6% · 4
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stockfish
Stockfish 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-9 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,591 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 18,591 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Up 3,182 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 Stockfish 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 | #152,628 | #149,446 | 2.1% |
| Count | 107 | 110 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stockfish bearers went from 107 to 110 (+2.8% change). The surname moved up 3,182 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #149,446.
FAQ
Stockfish surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stockfish?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Stockfish. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Stockfish?
Stockfish ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Stockfish. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Stockfish.
Has Stockfish become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stockfish went from 107 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 3 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Stockfish?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stockfish, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.9%) and Black (3.6%). 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 Stockfish in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.1% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stockfish appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.1%), Hispanic (10.9%), Black (3.6%). 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 Stockfish (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 Stockfish mean?
A surname derived from the German term for dried fish, often relating to an ancestor's occupation or trade. 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 Stockfish (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 many Americans have the surname Stockfish?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.