2000
#5,091
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,327
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.35
Rare Last name
Stoker
An occupational surname for a person who maintained fires or stoked furnaces.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,935 Americans carry the last name Stoker. That puts it at #5,554 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,424 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stoker 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Stoker with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.9K
1 in 49,424
Census rank
#5,554
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,048 bearers of the surname Stoker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5554th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stoker, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stoker
The surname Stoker originates from England and has its roots dating back to the 13th century. It derives from the Old English word "stoker," which referred to a person who stoked or tended fires, particularly furnaces or kilns. The name likely arose as an occupational surname given to those engaged in this trade.
In the medieval period, the Stoker surname was concentrated in the English counties of Warwickshire, Staffordshire, and Derbyshire, where various spellings like Stokar, Stokere, and Stokker were found in historical records. The earliest known record of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where it is spelled as "le Stokere."
The Stoker surname is notably absent from the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. However, it makes an appearance in later historical documents, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, where a John le Stoker is listed.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Stoker surname was Walter le Stoker, who lived in Stafford, England, in the late 13th century. Another early bearer of the name was John Stoker, a resident of Derbyshire mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332.
The Stoker surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England. For instance, the village of Stokesby in Norfolk was once known as "Stokere's by," suggesting a connection to an early Stoker family residing in the area.
Notable individuals with the Stoker surname include:
1. Bram Stoker (1847-1912), the Irish author best known for his Gothic horror novel "Dracula."
2. John Stoker (c. 1635-1704), an English Puritan minister and author of several religious works.
3. Thomas Stoker (1753-1818), an English civil engineer who designed and constructed several notable bridges in the late 18th century.
4. Sir Ralph Stoker (1782-1865), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Knight Bachelor.
5. Sir Keith Stoker (1900-1983), a British diplomat and ambassador to several countries in the mid-20th century.
The Stoker surname has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval England, where it originated as an occupational name for those tending fires and furnaces. While the name may have modest beginnings, it has been borne by notable individuals throughout the centuries, including renowned authors, engineers, and military figures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stoker
Among Census respondents with the surname Stoker, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Stoker 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 Stoker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.6% · 5,059
- Black or African American8.6% · 519
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 252
- Two or more races2.8% · 171
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stoker
Stoker 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
#5,082
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,888
+561 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 2.34
Rank movement Up 9 places
2020
#5,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,048
-840 bearers (-12.2%)
Per 100,000 2.02
Rank movement Down 472 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,091 | 6,327 | 2.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,082 | 6,888 | 2.34 | +561 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 9 places |
| 2020 | #5,554 | 6,048 | 2.02 | -840 bearers (-12.2%) | Down 472 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 Stoker 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 | #5,082 | #5,554 | -9.3% |
| Count | 6,888 | 6,048 | -12.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.34 | 2.02 | -13.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stoker bearers went from 6,888 to 6,048 (-12.2% change). The surname moved down 472 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,082 to #5,554.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Stoker
FAQ
Stoker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stoker?
Name Census estimates that about 6,935 living Americans carry the surname Stoker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,424 residents.
How common is Stoker?
Stoker ranks #5,554 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,048 people with the surname Stoker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,935), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Stoker.
Has Stoker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stoker went from 6,888 recorded bearers to 6,048. That is a decrease of 840 (-12.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,082 to #5,554.
What does the Census say about the background of Stoker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stoker, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Stoker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (5,059 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stoker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.6%), Black (8.6%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Stoker (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 Stoker mean?
An occupational surname for a person who maintained fires or stoked furnaces. 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 Stoker (2.02 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 Stoker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.