2000
#12,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,389
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Storch
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a stork or a person with long legs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,636 Americans carry the last name Storch. That puts it at #12,791 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,028 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Storch 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
2.6K
1 in 130,028
Census rank
#12,791
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,299 bearers of the surname Storch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12791st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Storch, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Storch
The surname Storch originated in Germany, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Storch," which means "stork," a reference to the long-legged wading bird. The earliest records of this surname can be found in various parts of Germany, particularly in regions like Bavaria and Saxony.
In medieval times, surnames often emerged as a way to distinguish individuals by their occupation, physical characteristics, or association with a particular place or object. The name Storch likely originated as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who resembled or had a connection with the stork bird, either due to their physical appearance or perhaps their occupation related to these birds.
One of the earliest documented instances of the Storch surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical records from Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. In this manuscript, a person named "Conradus dictus Storch" was mentioned in an entry from the year 1286.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Storch surname. One such person was Johann Storch, a German Protestant reformer and theologian who lived from around 1470 to 1522. He was a follower of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the early stages of the Protestant Reformation.
Another individual of historical significance was Nikolaus Storch, a German Renaissance painter who lived from around 1500 to 1561. He was known for his religious paintings and worked extensively in various churches and monasteries throughout Germany.
In the 18th century, Johann Wilhelm Storch, a German writer and philosopher, made his mark. Born in 1751 and dying in 1826, he was known for his works on philosophy, education, and social reform.
During the 19th century, Karl Storch, a German mathematician and astronomer, gained recognition for his contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. He was born in 1813 and passed away in 1881.
Finally, the 20th century saw the rise of Theodor Storch, a German-American mathematician and meteorologist. Born in 1907 and dying in 1975, he made significant contributions to the fields of weather forecasting and numerical modeling.
While the surname Storch has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration. However, the historical roots and meaning of this name remain firmly tied to its German heritage and the symbolic association with the stork bird.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Storch
Among Census respondents with the surname Storch, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Storch 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 Storch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 2,132
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 79
- Two or more races2.7% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Storch
Storch 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
#12,581
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,461
+72 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 581 places
2020
#12,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,299
-162 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 210 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,000 | 2,389 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,581 | 2,461 | 0.83 | +72 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 581 places |
| 2020 | #12,791 | 2,299 | 0.77 | -162 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 210 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 Storch 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 | #12,581 | #12,791 | -1.7% |
| Count | 2,461 | 2,299 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.77 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Storch bearers went from 2,461 to 2,299 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 210 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,581 to #12,791.
FAQ
Storch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Storch?
Name Census estimates that about 2,636 living Americans carry the surname Storch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,028 residents.
How common is Storch?
Storch ranks #12,791 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,299 people with the surname Storch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,636), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Storch.
Has Storch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Storch went from 2,461 recorded bearers to 2,299. That is a decrease of 162 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,581 to #12,791.
What does the Census say about the background of Storch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Storch, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Storch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (2,132 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Storch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Storch (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 Storch mean?
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a stork or a person with long legs. 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 Storch (0.77 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 are called Storch?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Storch on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.