2000
#13,158
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Stoneking
An occupational surname denoting a person who worked with stone or lived near a prominent stone or rock.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,415 Americans carry the last name Stoneking. That puts it at #13,756 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,927 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stoneking 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
2.4K
1 in 141,927
Census rank
#13,756
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,106 bearers of the surname Stoneking in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13756th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stoneking, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stoneking
The surname Stoneking is believed to have originated in England in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "stan" meaning stone and "cyning" meaning king, likely referring to someone who lived near a prominent stone structure or who worked as a stonemason.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Stoneking can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Stanking." This suggests that the name was already in use by this time and may have been in existence even earlier.
In the 14th century, the name was sometimes spelled as "Stonekynge" or "Stonkynge," reflecting the evolution of the English language over time. During this period, the name was most commonly found in the counties of Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
One notable individual with the Stoneking surname was Sir John Stoneking (c. 1340-1412), a knight who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. He was mentioned in several historical records of the time for his military exploits.
In the 16th century, the Stoneking family had established a presence in the town of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Thomas Stoneking (c. 1520-1589) was a prominent landowner and merchant in the area, and his descendants continued to live in Aylesbury for several generations.
Another noteworthy figure was William Stoneking (1638-1701), a Puritan minister who emigrated from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1660s. He served as the pastor of the First Church of Haverhill and played a significant role in the local community.
By the 18th century, the Stoneking surname had spread to other parts of England, as well as to Scotland and Ireland. One example is Robert Stoneking (1756-1832), a Scottish poet and author who published several works during his lifetime.
As the name Stoneking continued to be passed down through the centuries, it also found its way to other parts of the world through immigration. Today, the surname can be found in various countries, with significant populations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stoneking
Among Census respondents with the surname Stoneking, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Stoneking 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 Stoneking surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 1,927
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 78
- Two or more races3.6% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stoneking
Stoneking 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
#13,938
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,166
+36 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 780 places
2020
#13,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,106
-60 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,158 | 2,130 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,938 | 2,166 | 0.73 | +36 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 780 places |
| 2020 | #13,756 | 2,106 | 0.70 | -60 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 182 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 Stoneking 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 | #13,938 | #13,756 | 1.3% |
| Count | 2,166 | 2,106 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.70 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stoneking bearers went from 2,166 to 2,106 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 182 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,938 to #13,756.
FAQ
Stoneking surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stoneking?
Name Census estimates that about 2,415 living Americans carry the surname Stoneking. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,927 residents.
How common is Stoneking?
Stoneking ranks #13,756 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,106 people with the surname Stoneking. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,415), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Stoneking.
Has Stoneking become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stoneking went from 2,166 recorded bearers to 2,106. That is a decrease of 60 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,938 to #13,756.
What does the Census say about the background of Stoneking?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stoneking, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Stoneking in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (1,927 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stoneking appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Stoneking (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 Stoneking mean?
An occupational surname denoting a person who worked with stone or lived near a prominent stone or rock. 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 Stoneking (0.70 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 share the surname Stoneking?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.