2000
#8,607
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,518
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Stoffel
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from a pet form of the personal name Christopher or Stefan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,902 Americans carry the last name Stoffel. That puts it at #9,206 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 87,841 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stoffel 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
3.9K
1 in 87,841
Census rank
#9,206
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,403 bearers of the surname Stoffel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9206th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stoffel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stoffel
The surname STOFFEL has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "stopfel," which referred to a type of stopper or plug used for sealing barrels or casks. This connection suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked in the production or handling of barrels or casks.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name STOFFEL can be found in the Heidelberg tax records from 1384, where a certain "Henne Stoffel" is mentioned. This document provides evidence of the name's existence and use during that time period in the region of Heidelberg, Germany.
In the 16th century, the name STOFFEL appeared in several historical records and manuscripts. For example, the renowned German theologian and reformer Martin Luther mentioned a "Hans Stoffel" in one of his writings from 1521. This reference indicates that the name was relatively well-established in Germany by that point.
The name STOFFEL has also been associated with various place names throughout its history. One example is the town of Stoffeln, located in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. This place name, which shares a similar root with the surname, likely emerged from the same linguistic origins.
Amongst notable individuals who bore the surname STOFFEL, one can mention Johann Stoffel (1647-1721), a German composer and organist from Heidelberg. Another significant figure was Johann Friedrich Stoffel (1775-1848), a German jurist and legal scholar who made important contributions to the field of civil law.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the surname STOFFEL was the French military officer and diplomat Baron Eugène Stoffel (1823-1907). He served as a military attaché in Berlin and played a crucial role in providing intelligence reports to the French government prior to the Franco-Prussian War.
Another individual of note was the German-American engineer and architect Albert Stoffel (1876-1963), who was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Chicago, including the Pittsfield Building and the Chicago Savings Bank & Trust Company Building.
Finally, one cannot overlook the Swiss architect and designer Hans Stoffel (1918-2006), who gained recognition for his innovative furniture designs and contributions to the Swiss modern design movement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stoffel
Among Census respondents with the surname Stoffel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Stoffel 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 Stoffel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 3,182
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 97
- Two or more races2.5% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 21
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stoffel
Stoffel 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
#8,753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,748
+230 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 146 places
2020
#9,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,403
-345 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 453 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,607 | 3,518 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,753 | 3,748 | 1.27 | +230 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 146 places |
| 2020 | #9,206 | 3,403 | 1.14 | -345 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 453 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 Stoffel 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 | #8,753 | #9,206 | -5.2% |
| Count | 3,748 | 3,403 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.14 | -10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stoffel bearers went from 3,748 to 3,403 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 453 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,753 to #9,206.
FAQ
Stoffel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stoffel?
Name Census estimates that about 3,902 living Americans carry the surname Stoffel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 87,841 residents.
How common is Stoffel?
Stoffel ranks #9,206 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.14 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 3,403 people with the surname Stoffel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,902), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.14 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 Stoffel.
Has Stoffel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stoffel went from 3,748 recorded bearers to 3,403. That is a decrease of 345 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,753 to #9,206.
What does the Census say about the background of Stoffel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stoffel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Stoffel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (3,182 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stoffel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Stoffel (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 Stoffel mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from a pet form of the personal name Christopher or Stefan. 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 Stoffel (1.14 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 Stoffel?
See how many Americans have the surname Stoffel on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.