2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Stofleth
A German surname derived from the word "staufenleder" meaning "soft leather".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Stofleth. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stofleth 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Stofleth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stofleth, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stofleth
The surname STOFLETH is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period, likely in the region of Bavaria or Saxony. It is thought to be derived from the Old German words "stof," meaning "staff" or "stick," and "leth," which is a variant spelling of "liet," meaning "people" or "followers." Thus, the name may have initially referred to a person who carried a staff or belonged to a group or clan associated with a staff or stick.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name STOFLETH dates back to the 13th century, where it appeared in a chronicle documenting the lives of notable individuals in the town of Regensburg, located in present-day Bavaria. The entry referred to a certain "Johannes Stofleth," a merchant who traded in goods from the nearby regions.
In the 15th century, the name STOFLETH was found in a manuscript detailing the lineage of noble families in the region of Saxony. It mentioned a "Heinrich Stofleth," who was a knight and landowner in the village of Grimma, located near the city of Leipzig.
During the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name STOFLETH was Matthias Stofleth, a Lutheran pastor and scholar born in 1532 in the town of Erfurt, in present-day Thuringia. He wrote several treatises on theology and was known for his sermons and teachings.
In the 17th century, the name STOFLETH appeared in records from the town of Bamberg, in northern Bavaria. These records referenced a "Hans Stofleth," who was a master woodcarver and craftsman, renowned for his intricate work on church altars and religious sculptures.
Another notable bearer of the name STOFLETH was Johann Christoph Stofleth, born in 1675 in the town of Nuremberg. He was a renowned composer and organist, known for his contributions to the development of baroque music in Germany.
While the name STOFLETH has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, likely due to migration and the dispersal of German settlers over the centuries. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it may have initially referred to individuals associated with a staff or stick, possibly as a symbol of authority or as a tool of their trade.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stofleth
Among Census respondents with the surname Stofleth, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Stofleth 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 Stofleth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 102
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stofleth
Stofleth 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+11 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 908 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-17 bearers (-13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,459 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 908 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.3%) | Down 16,459 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 Stofleth 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 | #132,206 | #148,665 | -12.4% |
| Count | 128 | 111 | -13.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stofleth bearers went from 128 to 111 (-13.3% change). The surname moved down 16,459 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #148,665.
FAQ
Stofleth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stofleth?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Stofleth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Stofleth?
Stofleth ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Stofleth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Stofleth.
Has Stofleth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stofleth went from 128 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 17 (-13.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Stofleth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stofleth, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Stofleth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stofleth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Black (1.8%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Stofleth (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 Stofleth mean?
A German surname derived from the word "staufenleder" meaning "soft leather". 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 Stofleth (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 Stofleth?
See how many people have the surname Stofleth on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.