2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Stoeck
A surname derived from a truncated form of the German word "Stöckel," meaning "stick" or "staff."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Stoeck. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stoeck 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Stoeck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stoeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stoeck
The surname Stoeck originated in Germany during the late medieval period. It is derived from the German word "Stoc," meaning "stick" or "stump," and likely referred to someone who lived near a notable stump or tree stump. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was Stocche, found in records from the town of Hameln in Lower Saxony in the 14th century.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various records from the region of Bavaria, with variations such as Stocke, Stockh, and Stöck. This suggests that the name had spread to different areas of Germany and had adopted slight spelling variations.
One notable historical reference to the name Stoeck comes from the 16th century. In 1567, a merchant named Hans Stoeck is recorded as having traded goods between the cities of Nuremberg and Vienna. This provides evidence of the name's presence in the mercantile class during this period.
The earliest recorded person with the surname Stoeck was Konrad Stoeck, born in Rothenburg ob der Tauber in 1498. Another early bearer of the name was Matthias Stoeck, a Lutheran pastor who lived in Augsburg from 1520 to 1587.
In the 17th century, the name Stoeck appeared in the records of the city of Cologne, where a family of artists and engravers bore the name. The most notable among them was Johann Stoeck, an engraver and printmaker who was active in Cologne between 1630 and 1670.
During the 18th century, the name Stoeck was found in various regions of Germany, including Saxony and Prussia. One individual of note was Friedrich Stoeck, a composer and organist born in Dresden in 1735. He was renowned for his compositions for the organ and church music.
As the surname Stoeck spread across Germany, it also found its way into other parts of Europe. In the 19th century, a branch of the family settled in the Netherlands, where the spelling was adapted to Stoek. One notable Dutch bearer of the name was Pieter Stoek, a painter and illustrator who lived from 1814 to 1881.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stoeck
Among Census respondents with the surname Stoeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Stoeck 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 Stoeck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 112
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stoeck
Stoeck 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,212 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 630 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,212 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 630 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 Stoeck 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 | #144,141 | #143,511 | 0.4% |
| Count | 115 | 118 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stoeck bearers went from 115 to 118 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 630 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #143,511.
FAQ
Stoeck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stoeck?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Stoeck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Stoeck?
Stoeck ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Stoeck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Stoeck.
Has Stoeck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stoeck went from 115 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 3 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Stoeck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stoeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Stoeck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stoeck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Stoeck (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 Stoeck mean?
A surname derived from a truncated form of the German word "Stöckel," meaning "stick" or "staff." 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 Stoeck (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 people are called Stoeck?
You can see how many people are called Stoeck on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.