2000
#9,513
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Stork
An occupational surname referring to a person who hunted storks or a person with long, thin legs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,442 Americans carry the last name Stork. That puts it at #10,217 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,580 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stork 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 Stork with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 99,580
Census rank
#10,217
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,002 bearers of the surname Stork in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10217th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stork, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stork
The surname Stork is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English word "storc" or "stork", which referred to the large wading bird. It is thought to have originated as a nickname for someone with a tall, stork-like appearance or gait, or perhaps someone who lived near a place frequented by storks.
The earliest known record of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Storca" and "Storce". These entries suggest the name was already well-established in parts of England by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled with variations like "Storke", "Stork", and "Storkes". In the 14th century, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 mention a Richard Storke in Oxfordshire.
The Stork surname can also be traced to various place names in England that incorporate the word "stork", such as Storkesdale in Yorkshire and Storkeston in Leicestershire. These place names likely originated from the presence of storks in those areas.
Notable historical figures with the surname Stork include William Stork (c. 1501-1572), an English Member of Parliament and Sheriff of Oxfordshire, and John Stork (1668-1753), a Dutch-born English artist known for his portraits and landscapes.
In the 17th century, Johannes Stork (1619-1684) was a German mathematician and astronomer who contributed to the development of calculus. Another mathematician, Abraham Stork (1590-1663), was a Dutch professor at the University of Leiden.
During the 18th century, William Stork (1738-1805) was a British Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy, while his contemporary, William Stork (1738-1819), was a noted English engraver and artist.
While these are just a few examples, the Stork surname has a rich history spanning centuries and can be found across various parts of Europe, particularly in England, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stork
Among Census respondents with the surname Stork, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Stork 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 Stork surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 2,809
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 80
- Two or more races2.0% · 61
- Black or African American1.2% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stork
Stork 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
#9,415
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,454
+319 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Up 98 places
2020
#10,217
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,002
-452 bearers (-13.1%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 802 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,513 | 3,135 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,415 | 3,454 | 1.17 | +319 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 98 places |
| 2020 | #10,217 | 3,002 | 1.00 | -452 bearers (-13.1%) | Down 802 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 Stork 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 | #9,415 | #10,217 | -8.5% |
| Count | 3,454 | 3,002 | -13.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.00 | -14.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stork bearers went from 3,454 to 3,002 (-13.1% change). The surname moved down 802 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,415 to #10,217.
FAQ
Stork surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stork?
Name Census estimates that about 3,442 living Americans carry the surname Stork. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,580 residents.
How common is Stork?
Stork ranks #10,217 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 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 3,002 people with the surname Stork. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,442), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 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 Stork.
Has Stork become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stork went from 3,454 recorded bearers to 3,002. That is a decrease of 452 (-13.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,415 to #10,217.
What does the Census say about the background of Stork?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stork, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Stork in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (2,809 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stork appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Stork (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 Stork mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who hunted storks or a person with long, thin 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 Stork (1.00 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 common is the surname Stork?
Want to know how many people are called Stork? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.