2000
#118,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Stola
An occupational surname derived from the German word "stolle," meaning a stool or throne maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Stola. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stola 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Stola in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stola, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stola
The surname Stola is believed to have originated in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, with its roots tracing back to the medieval era. One theory suggests that the name derives from the Old Slavic word "stol," which means "table" or "chair," potentially indicating an occupation or trade related to furniture-making or carpentry.
Another hypothesis links the name to the Czech word "stůl," which also translates to "table" or "chair," further reinforcing the connection to the craftsmanship of wooden furniture or household items. Alternatively, some scholars propose that Stola may have evolved from the German word "Stollen," referring to a type of mining shaft or tunnel, implying an association with mining or underground work.
Historical records indicate that the Stola name appeared in various forms throughout the centuries. For instance, the Domesday Book, a renowned survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, lists a landowner named "Stole" in Lincolnshire, England, which could be an early variation of the Stola surname.
One of the earliest documented instances of the Stola name can be found in the records of the Czech town of Kutná Hora, where a certain Jan Stola is mentioned as a prominent citizen in the 14th century. In Poland, the Stola family name gained recognition in the 16th century, with Bartłomiej Stola (1550-1617), a renowned printer and publisher based in Kraków.
The Stola surname has also been associated with notable individuals throughout history. In the 18th century, Ignacy Stola (1730-1798) was a Polish military officer who fought in the Bar Confederation against the Russian Empire. Later, in the 19th century, Stanisław Stola (1847-1912) emerged as a prominent Polish painter and art educator, known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
Another noteworthy figure bearing the Stola name was Jerzy Stola (1913-1944), a Polish resistance fighter and member of the Armia Krajowa (Home Army) during World War II. He played a crucial role in the Warsaw Uprising against the German occupation and was posthumously awarded the Virtuti Militari, Poland's highest military decoration.
In the realm of literature, the Stola surname is associated with the American writer and poet Judith Stola (1945-2015), whose works explored themes of feminism, identity, and the human condition. Her poetry collections, such as "The Brim of Her Hat" and "The Scorpion Dance," received critical acclaim and contributed to the contemporary literary landscape.
Variations of the Stola name can also be found in other regions, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Ukraine, reflecting the surname's widespread presence across Slavic communities and its enduring legacy throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stola
Among Census respondents with the surname Stola, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Stola 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 Stola surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino7.3% · 8
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stola
Stola 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
-9 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,909 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-17 bearers (-13.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,342 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,954 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 14,909 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.5%) | Down 16,342 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 Stola 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 | #133,863 | #150,205 | -12.2% |
| Count | 126 | 109 | -13.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stola bearers went from 126 to 109 (-13.5% change). The surname moved down 16,342 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #150,205.
FAQ
Stola surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stola?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Stola. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Stola?
Stola ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Stola. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Stola.
Has Stola become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stola went from 126 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 17 (-13.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Stola?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stola, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Stola in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stola appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Hispanic (7.3%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Stola (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 Stola mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German word "stolle," meaning a stool or throne maker. 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 Stola (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 have the last name Stola?
You can see how many people have the last name Stola on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.