2000
#5,876
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,395
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.00
Rare Last name
Storms
A surname referring to a person living near a place often hit by storms or violent weather.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,164 Americans carry the last name Storms. That puts it at #6,111 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,606 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Storms 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
6.2K
1 in 55,606
Census rank
#6,111
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,375 bearers of the surname Storms in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6111th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Storms, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Storms
The surname Storms is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English word "storm," meaning a violent disturbance of the atmosphere with wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. It is likely that the name was initially given as a nickname to someone who had a tempestuous or stormy personality or demeanor.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Storms can be traced back to the 12th century in England, where it appeared in various records and documents. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert Storms, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1184.
In the 13th century, the surname Storms was found in various locations across England, including Yorkshire, Oxfordshire, and Gloucestershire. It is possible that the name was also influenced by or derived from certain place names, such as Storm's Hill or Storm's End, which were locations where storms were known to occur frequently.
During the medieval period, the surname Storms appeared in several historical records, including the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which listed individuals bearing the name in various counties across England. The Domesday Book, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, did not contain any direct references to the surname Storms, as it primarily recorded landowners and manors.
One notable bearer of the surname Storms was Sir John Storms (1460-1528), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the early 16th century. Another prominent figure was Sir Thomas Storms (1525-1591), an English soldier and diplomat who served under Queen Elizabeth I.
Other notable individuals with the surname Storms throughout history include:
1. William Storms (1592-1670), an English Puritan minister and author.
2. Mary Storms (1736-1812), an American Revolutionary War patriot and spy.
3. John Storms (1838-1901), an American politician who served as the 18th Governor of Iowa.
4. Henri Storms (1877-1944), a Belgian painter and graphic artist associated with the Fauvist movement.
5. Everett Storms (1899-1985), an American baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox in the 1920s.
The surname Storms has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Storme, Stormey, and Stormie, among others. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained consistent, reflecting its connection to atmospheric disturbances and tempestuous weather.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Storms
Among Census respondents with the surname Storms, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Storms 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 Storms surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 4,685
- Two or more races4.3% · 233
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 225
- Black or African American3.1% · 168
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Storms
Storms 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
#6,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,575
+180 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.89
Rank movement Down 271 places
2020
#6,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,375
-200 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.80
Rank movement Up 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,876 | 5,395 | 2.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,147 | 5,575 | 1.89 | +180 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 271 places |
| 2020 | #6,111 | 5,375 | 1.80 | -200 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 36 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 Storms 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 | #6,147 | #6,111 | 0.6% |
| Count | 5,575 | 5,375 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.89 | 1.80 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Storms bearers went from 5,575 to 5,375 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,147 to #6,111.
FAQ
Storms surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Storms?
Name Census estimates that about 6,164 living Americans carry the surname Storms. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,606 residents.
How common is Storms?
Storms ranks #6,111 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,375 people with the surname Storms. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,164), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Storms.
Has Storms become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Storms went from 5,575 recorded bearers to 5,375. That is a decrease of 200 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,147 to #6,111.
What does the Census say about the background of Storms?
Among Census respondents with the surname Storms, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Storms in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (4,685 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Storms appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Storms (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 Storms mean?
A surname referring to a person living near a place often hit by storms or violent weather. 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 Storms (1.80 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 surname Storms?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.