2000
#12,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,373
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Storie
An occupational surname for a historian, chronicler, or professional teller of stories and historical accounts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,401 Americans carry the last name Storie. That puts it at #13,822 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,755 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Storie 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 Storie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 142,755
Census rank
#13,822
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,094 bearers of the surname Storie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13822nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Storie, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Storie
The surname Storie has its origins in Scotland, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "stor," which means a person of great stature or importance, or alternatively, it could have originated from the French word "estorer," meaning to furnish or provide.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William Storie, who was mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to Edward I of England. The name also appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1373, where a John Storie is recorded as a tenant in Berwickshire.
In the 16th century, the Storie family was prominent in the Scottish Borders region, particularly in Roxburghshire and Berwickshire. Andrew Storie, born in 1550, was a notable clergyman and author who wrote a treatise on the Scottish Reformation.
The name has also been associated with various place names, such as Storie Muir in Fife and Storiemontfield near Aberdeen, suggesting that some Storie families may have taken their names from these locations.
One of the most famous bearers of the name was John Storie, a Scottish minister born in 1622, who was known for his opposition to the Episcopalian policies of the Stuart monarchs. He was briefly imprisoned for his beliefs and played a significant role in the religious conflicts of the time.
Another notable figure was William Storie, a Scottish merchant and landowner born in 1690, who acquired substantial properties in Fife and Kinross-shire. His descendants continued to be influential landowners in the region for several generations.
In the 19th century, George Storie, born in 1808, was a prominent journalist and editor who worked for several Scottish newspapers, including the Glasgow Herald and the Caledonian Mercury. He was also a vocal advocate for social reform and education.
The Storie surname can also be found in various spelling variations, such as Story, Storey, and Storrie, which reflect regional pronunciation differences and the evolution of the name over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Storie
Among Census respondents with the surname Storie, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Storie 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 Storie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 1,901
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 78
- Two or more races3.5% · 74
- Black or African American1.1% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Storie
Storie 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
#13,029
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,357
-16 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 965 places
2020
#13,822
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,094
-263 bearers (-11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 793 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,064 | 2,373 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,029 | 2,357 | 0.80 | -16 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 965 places |
| 2020 | #13,822 | 2,094 | 0.70 | -263 bearers (-11.2%) | Down 793 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 Storie 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 | #13,029 | #13,822 | -6.1% |
| Count | 2,357 | 2,094 | -11.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.70 | -12.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Storie bearers went from 2,357 to 2,094 (-11.2% change). The surname moved down 793 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,029 to #13,822.
FAQ
Storie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Storie?
Name Census estimates that about 2,401 living Americans carry the surname Storie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,755 residents.
How common is Storie?
Storie ranks #13,822 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 2,094 people with the surname Storie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,401), 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 Storie.
Has Storie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Storie went from 2,357 recorded bearers to 2,094. That is a decrease of 263 (-11.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,029 to #13,822.
What does the Census say about the background of Storie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Storie, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Storie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (1,901 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Storie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Storie (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 Storie mean?
An occupational surname for a historian, chronicler, or professional teller of stories and historical accounts. 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 Storie (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 Storie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.