2000
#115,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Stockum
A habitational surname derived from a location bearing this name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Stockum. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stockum 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Stockum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stockum, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stockum
The surname Stockum is of German origin, with roots dating back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German term "stoc," which means "stump" or "log," combined with the suffix "-um" indicating a location or place. This suggests that the name may have referred to an area or settlement near a prominent tree stump or wooded area.
Early records of the name can be found in various parts of Germany, particularly in the regions of Rhineland and Westphalia. One of the earliest known references to the surname Stockum appears in the Cologne Cathedral archives, dated around 1385, where a certain Johannes von Stockum is mentioned as a landowner.
In the 15th century, the name appears in several historical documents related to trade and commerce in the city of Dortmund. One notable example is the merchant Hans Stockum, who was active in the Hanseatic League, a powerful economic alliance of trading cities in Northern Europe, during the late 1400s.
As the name spread across different regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Stockheim, Stokum, and Stockhammer. These variations often reflected local dialects and pronunciation differences.
During the 17th century, the Stockum family gained prominence in the town of Münster, where they were involved in civic affairs and held influential positions. One notable figure was Johann Stockum (1615-1692), a respected scholar and author who wrote extensively on theology and philosophy.
The 18th century saw the name spread further across Europe, with some Stockums emigrating to other parts of the continent and even to the Americas. In 1756, a record exists of a Wilhelm Stockum, who was a merchant in Amsterdam and was engaged in trade with the Dutch East Indies.
In the 19th century, the Stockum name gained recognition in the field of science and academia. Carl Stockum (1809-1874) was a renowned German botanist who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and published several influential works on the subject.
Other notable individuals with the surname Stockum include Friedrich Stockum (1891-1967), a German military officer and recipient of the prestigious Pour le Mérite award during World War I, and Theodor Stockum (1845-1923), a prominent architect who designed several iconic buildings in the city of Cologne.
While the Stockum name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with descendants and bearers of the name contributing to various fields and endeavors throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stockum
Among Census respondents with the surname Stockum, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Stockum 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 Stockum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 107
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stockum
Stockum 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
-4 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 10,529 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-28 bearers (-20.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,917 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #115,489 | 140 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | -4 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 10,529 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -28 bearers (-20.6%) | Down 24,917 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 Stockum 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 | #126,018 | #150,935 | -19.8% |
| Count | 136 | 108 | -20.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -27.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stockum bearers went from 136 to 108 (-20.6% change). The surname moved down 24,917 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #150,935.
FAQ
Stockum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stockum?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Stockum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Stockum?
Stockum ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Stockum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Stockum.
Has Stockum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stockum went from 136 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 28 (-20.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Stockum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stockum, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (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 Stockum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stockum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Black (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 Stockum (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 Stockum mean?
A habitational surname derived from a location bearing this name. 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 Stockum (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 Stockum?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.