2000
#2,067
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,073
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.96
Uncommon Last name
Stovall
An English occupational surname for someone who worked in or managed a heated room, such as a drying kiln or bath house.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,368 Americans carry the last name Stovall. That puts it at #2,212 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,660 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stovall 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
18K
1 in 18,660
Census rank
#2,212
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,018 bearers of the surname Stovall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2212th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stovall, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (33.4%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stovall
The surname Stovall has its origins in England, believed to have originated during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from a place called Staveley or Stavely, which are towns found in Derbyshire and Westmorland (now part of Cumbria). The name is likely derived from the Old English words "stæf" meaning staff or stave, and "leah" meaning a clearing or meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Staueleie" and "Stavelie." This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir Robert de Staveley, a knight who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence under King Edward I. He was granted lands in Derbyshire for his service.
Another early record of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1230, where a Richard de Staveleye is mentioned.
The name continued to evolve in spelling over the centuries, with variations such as Staveley, Staveley, Stavely, Staveley, and eventually Stovall becoming more common.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Stovall spelling can be found in the records of the Diocesan Registry of Ely in Cambridgeshire, where a Thomas Stovall is listed in 1568.
A notable bearer of the Stovall name was Sir John Stovall (c. 1530-1590), a member of the English gentry and landowner in Staffordshire.
In the 17th century, a Nicholas Stovall (1615-1680) immigrated to Virginia from England and became a prominent landowner and planter.
Another significant figure with the Stovall surname was William Stovall (1772-1844), an American pioneer and soldier who served in the War of 1812.
The name continued to spread throughout England and later to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, as people bearing the surname emigrated and settled in new lands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stovall
Among Census respondents with the surname Stovall, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (33.4%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Stovall 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 Stovall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.7% · 8,920
- Black or African American33.4% · 5,356
- Two or more races5.3% · 853
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 711
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 89
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stovall
Stovall 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
#2,155
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,827
+754 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 5.70
Rank movement Down 88 places
2020
#2,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,018
-809 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 5.36
Rank movement Down 57 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,067 | 16,073 | 5.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,155 | 16,827 | 5.70 | +754 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 88 places |
| 2020 | #2,212 | 16,018 | 5.36 | -809 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 57 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 Stovall 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 | #2,155 | #2,212 | -2.6% |
| Count | 16,827 | 16,018 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.70 | 5.36 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stovall bearers went from 16,827 to 16,018 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 57 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,155 to #2,212.
FAQ
Stovall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stovall?
Name Census estimates that about 18,368 living Americans carry the surname Stovall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,660 residents.
How common is Stovall?
Stovall ranks #2,212 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,018 people with the surname Stovall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,368), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Stovall.
Has Stovall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stovall went from 16,827 recorded bearers to 16,018. That is a decrease of 809 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,155 to #2,212.
What does the Census say about the background of Stovall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stovall, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (33.4%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Stovall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.7% (8,920 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stovall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.7%), Black (33.4%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Stovall (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 Stovall mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who worked in or managed a heated room, such as a drying kiln or bath house. 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 Stovall (5.36 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 Stovall?
Find out how many people have the surname Stovall on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.