2000
#7,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,411
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.64
Rare Last name
Stotts
Derived from the Middle English word "stot," meaning a bullock or young ox, likely referring to a cattle herder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,841 Americans carry the last name Stotts. That puts it at #7,583 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,802 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stotts 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
4.8K
1 in 70,802
Census rank
#7,583
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,222 bearers of the surname Stotts in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7583rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stotts, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stotts
The surname Stotts is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "stott," which referred to a steer or bullock. It is believed to have originated as a nickname for someone with a sturdy or robust build, akin to a steer.
The earliest recorded instance of this surname can be traced back to the 13th century in Northumberland and Durham counties in the northeast of England. It is likely that the name was initially used to distinguish individuals within small communities, where nicknames were common.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a record of landowners in England compiled during the reign of King Edward I, there is an entry for a Robert Stott living in Yorkshire. This is one of the earliest documented instances of the name in historical records.
Throughout the medieval period, variations of the name were common, including Stott, Stot, and Stotte. These spellings reflect the regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.
One notable individual bearing this surname was Sir John Stotts, a wealthy landowner and wool merchant who lived in the 15th century. He was a prominent figure in the city of Norwich, serving as the mayor in 1465.
Another historical figure was William Stotts, born in 1610 in Northumberland. He was a Puritan settler who emigrated to New England in the 17th century and became one of the founders of the town of Hingham, Massachusetts.
In the 18th century, John Stotts (1735-1795) was a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War. He participated in several notable battles and achieved the rank of Vice Admiral.
A more recent figure was Elizabeth Stotts (1865-1937), a British artist and illustrator known for her etchings and watercolor paintings of rural scenes and landscapes.
The name Stotts has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Stotts Hill in Yorkshire and Stotts Farm in Durham, further reinforcing its historical ties to the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stotts
Among Census respondents with the surname Stotts, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Stotts 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 Stotts surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.8% · 3,494
- Black or African American6.7% · 283
- Two or more races5.0% · 211
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 144
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stotts
Stotts 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
#7,030
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,760
+349 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Down 24 places
2020
#7,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,222
-538 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Down 553 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,006 | 4,411 | 1.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,030 | 4,760 | 1.61 | +349 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 24 places |
| 2020 | #7,583 | 4,222 | 1.41 | -538 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 553 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 Stotts 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 | #7,030 | #7,583 | -7.9% |
| Count | 4,760 | 4,222 | -11.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.61 | 1.41 | -12.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stotts bearers went from 4,760 to 4,222 (-11.3% change). The surname moved down 553 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,030 to #7,583.
FAQ
Stotts surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stotts?
Name Census estimates that about 4,841 living Americans carry the surname Stotts. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,802 residents.
How common is Stotts?
Stotts ranks #7,583 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.41 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 4,222 people with the surname Stotts. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,841), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.41 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 Stotts.
Has Stotts become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stotts went from 4,760 recorded bearers to 4,222. That is a decrease of 538 (-11.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,030 to #7,583.
What does the Census say about the background of Stotts?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stotts, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Stotts in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.8% (3,494 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stotts appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.8%), Black (6.7%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Stotts (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 Stotts mean?
Derived from the Middle English word "stot," meaning a bullock or young ox, likely referring to a cattle herder. 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 Stotts (1.41 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 Stotts?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Stotts, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.