2000
#9,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,079
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Stough
A toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "place at the ridge" or "place on the hillside."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,245 Americans carry the last name Stough. That puts it at #10,766 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,625 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stough 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
3.2K
1 in 105,625
Census rank
#10,766
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,830 bearers of the surname Stough in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10766th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stough, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stough
The surname STOUGH is of Anglo-Saxon origin, tracing its roots back to the region of Staffordshire, England, around the 8th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "stog" or "stoc," meaning a place or enclosure, and is thought to have referred to individuals who lived near a stockaded town or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name STOUGH can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings and wealth compiled in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Radulfus de Stoch, likely referring to the area now known as Stoke-on-Trent.
During the Middle Ages, the name STOUGH appeared in various forms, such as Stok, Stoke, and Stowche, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling. In the 13th century, a man named William de Stoche is mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire, indicating the continued presence of the surname in the area.
Notable individuals bearing the STOUGH surname throughout history include:
1. Sir John Stough (c. 1520-1590), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Staffordshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. Thomas Stough (1608-1687), an English Puritan minister and one of the founders of the town of Middletown, Connecticut, in the American colonies.
3. William Stough (1775-1849), an American farmer and frontiersman who served in the War of 1812 and helped establish settlements in the Ohio Territory.
4. Mary Ann Stough (1832-1899), a British writer and educator who published several books on women's education and social issues in the Victorian era.
5. Jeremiah Stough (1865-1942), an American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the coal mining industry and funded the construction of several schools and libraries in his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
The STOUGH surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Stoke-on-Trent, Stoke Mandeville, and Stoke Newington, further reinforcing its connection to the Old English word "stoc" and its geographical origins in Staffordshire and surrounding areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stough
Among Census respondents with the surname Stough, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Stough 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 Stough surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 2,589
- Two or more races3.0% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 61
- Black or African American1.8% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stough
Stough 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
#10,473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,067
-12 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 793 places
2020
#10,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,830
-237 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 293 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,680 | 3,079 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,473 | 3,067 | 1.04 | -12 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 793 places |
| 2020 | #10,766 | 2,830 | 0.95 | -237 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 293 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 Stough 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 | #10,473 | #10,766 | -2.8% |
| Count | 3,067 | 2,830 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.95 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stough bearers went from 3,067 to 2,830 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 293 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,473 to #10,766.
FAQ
Stough surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stough?
Name Census estimates that about 3,245 living Americans carry the surname Stough. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,625 residents.
How common is Stough?
Stough ranks #10,766 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,830 people with the surname Stough. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,245), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Stough.
Has Stough become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stough went from 3,067 recorded bearers to 2,830. That is a decrease of 237 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,473 to #10,766.
What does the Census say about the background of Stough?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stough, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Stough in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (2,589 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stough appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Stough (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 Stough mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "place at the ridge" or "place on the hillside." 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 Stough (0.95 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 Stough?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.