2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Stothard
An English surname derived from a place name containing the Old English word "stod" meaning stud farm or stock-breeding farm.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Stothard. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stothard 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 Stothard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Stothard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stothard, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stothard
The surname Stothard has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "stod" meaning "stud" and "hierde" meaning "herd," indicating that the original bearers of this name may have been employed as horse breeders or keepers of studs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Stothard surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1208, where a certain Adam Stothard is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1273, suggesting that it had spread to various regions of England by the 13th century.
During the Middle Ages, the Stothard name was particularly prevalent in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Some notable early bearers of this surname include John Stothard, who was recorded in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, and William Stothard, whose name appears in the Calverley Charters of Yorkshire in 1440.
As the centuries passed, the Stothard name continued to be found in various historical records across England. One notable individual was Thomas Stothard (1755-1834), an eminent English painter and illustrator who was renowned for his book illustrations and designs for the Royal Mint. His son, Robert Stothard (1790-1858), followed in his footsteps and became a respected painter and illustrator as well.
Another prominent figure with the Stothard surname was Charles Alfred Stothard (1786-1821), an English antiquary and draughtsman who is best known for his work in recording and preserving the monumental effigies and architectural antiquities of England.
In the literary world, Amos Stothard (1818-1887) made his mark as an English poet and writer, while John Stothard (1834-1893) was a notable Anglican priest and author of several religious works.
Throughout its long history, the Stothard surname has also been associated with various place names and locations in England. For instance, the village of Stothard in Yorkshire likely derives its name from the same etymological roots as the surname, further cementing its connection to the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stothard
Among Census respondents with the surname Stothard, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Stothard 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 Stothard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 99
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stothard
Stothard 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+5 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,413 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-13 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,481 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 4,413 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -13 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 9,481 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 Stothard 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 | #146,201 | #155,682 | -6.5% |
| Count | 113 | 100 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stothard bearers went from 113 to 100 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 9,481 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #155,682.
FAQ
Stothard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stothard?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Stothard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Stothard?
Stothard ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 100 people with the surname Stothard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Stothard.
Has Stothard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stothard went from 113 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 13 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Stothard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stothard, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Stothard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stothard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Stothard (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 Stothard mean?
An English surname derived from a place name containing the Old English word "stod" meaning stud farm or stock-breeding farm. 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 Stothard (0.03 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 last name Stothard?
Want to know how many people have the surname Stothard? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.