2000
#14,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,942
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Stokley
Derived from a place name meaning "clearing with tree stumps" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,198 Americans carry the last name Stokley. That puts it at #14,840 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 155,939 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stokley 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
2.2K
1 in 155,939
Census rank
#14,840
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,917 bearers of the surname Stokley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14840th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stokley, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stokley
The surname Stokley is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the county of Northamptonshire. It dates back to the 13th century and is derived from the Old English words "stoc" meaning a farm or hamlet, and "leah" meaning a woodland clearing or meadow.
Stokley is a locational surname, indicating that the earliest bearers of this name likely hailed from a small settlement or village called Stokley, which no longer exists as a distinct place. However, variations of this place name can be found in several locations across England, such as Stockley Pomeroy in Devon and Stockley Park in Middlesex.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Stokley can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a Robert de Stokley. The Hundred Rolls were a series of administrative records compiled in England during the reign of King Edward I.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, including Stokele, Stokkeley, and Stoklegh, reflecting the variations in spelling that were common during that era. These different spellings can be found in medieval records such as the Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire and the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire.
One notable bearer of the name Stokley was Sir John Stokley (c. 1400-1470), a member of the gentry from Gloucestershire who served as a Member of Parliament during the Wars of the Roses. Another prominent individual with this surname was Thomas Stokley (c. 1505-1578), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I for his religious beliefs.
In the 17th century, the Stokley surname gained recognition through the work of Sir Thomas Stokley (1621-1683), a renowned English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Royal Naval Hospital in Greenwich.
Another significant figure was William Stokley (1755-1835), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Surrey and published several works on theology and church history.
Lastly, one cannot overlook John Stokley Littleton (1786-1857), an English lawyer and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of ancient laws and legal history, particularly through his work "The History of the Law of Tenures."
While the Stokley surname may not be as common as some other English surnames, it has a rich history that can be traced back to the medieval period and has been borne by individuals who have made their mark in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stokley
Among Census respondents with the surname Stokley, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Stokley 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 Stokley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.0% · 1,381
- Black or African American21.4% · 410
- Two or more races3.8% · 72
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stokley
Stokley 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
#13,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,213
+271 bearers (+14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 505 places
2020
#14,840
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,917
-296 bearers (-13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 1,158 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,187 | 1,942 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,682 | 2,213 | 0.75 | +271 bearers (+14.0%) | Up 505 places |
| 2020 | #14,840 | 1,917 | 0.64 | -296 bearers (-13.4%) | Down 1,158 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 Stokley 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 | #13,682 | #14,840 | -8.5% |
| Count | 2,213 | 1,917 | -13.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.64 | -14.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stokley bearers went from 2,213 to 1,917 (-13.4% change). The surname moved down 1,158 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,682 to #14,840.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Stokley
FAQ
Stokley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stokley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,198 living Americans carry the surname Stokley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 155,939 residents.
How common is Stokley?
Stokley ranks #14,840 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,917 people with the surname Stokley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,198), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Stokley.
Has Stokley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stokley went from 2,213 recorded bearers to 1,917. That is a decrease of 296 (-13.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,682 to #14,840.
What does the Census say about the background of Stokley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stokley, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Stokley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.0% (1,381 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stokley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.0%), Black (21.4%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Stokley (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 Stokley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "clearing with tree stumps" in Old English. 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 Stokley (0.64 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 have the last name Stokley?
You can see how many people have the last name Stokley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.