2010
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Stox
A German surname derived from the occupational term for a stocker or merchant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Stox. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stox 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Stox in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stox, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stox
The surname Stox is of English origin, originating in the medieval period around the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "stoc," meaning a stock, stump, or stem, referring to someone who lived near a prominent tree stump or post.
The name was initially concentrated in the counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset, where some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found. In the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from 1203, a Hugo de Stok is mentioned, indicating the surname's early usage.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Richard de Stok, who lived in Gloucestershire during the 13th century. He is recorded in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like survey conducted in England during the reign of King Edward I.
The Stox surname also appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, the great survey commissioned by William the Conqueror. While the spelling varies slightly, entries such as "Radulfus de Stoche" in Somerset suggest the name's ancient origins.
Over time, the name underwent various spellings, including Stok, Stoke, Stocke, and Stokes, before settling into the modern form of Stox. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of scribes who recorded the name.
One notable bearer of the Stox surname was Sir John Stokes (c.1440-1497), a distinguished English soldier and courtier during the Wars of the Roses. He served as the Lord Lieutenant of Somerset and Dorset under King Henry VII.
Another individual of historical significance was William Stokes (1608-1679), an English clergyman and writer who served as the Master of Eton College. He was known for his works on logic and philosophy.
In the 18th century, Gabriel Stokes (1689-1768) was a prominent English physician and author who wrote extensively on medical topics, including his influential work "A Treatise on the Cause and Cure of the Stone."
The Stox surname has also been associated with prominent figures in science, such as Sir George Gabriel Stokes (1819-1903), a renowned Irish mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to fluid dynamics and optics.
Finally, one cannot overlook the literary achievements of Whitley Stokes (1830-1909), an Irish scholar and jurist who specialized in Celtic philology and made invaluable contributions to the study of ancient Irish literature and law.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stox
Among Census respondents with the surname Stox, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Stox 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 Stox surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino8.1% · 9
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stox
Stox appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-9 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,437 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 9,437 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 Stox 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 | #139,228 | #148,665 | -6.8% |
| Count | 120 | 111 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stox bearers went from 120 to 111 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 9,437 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #148,665.
FAQ
Stox surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stox?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Stox. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Stox?
Stox ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 111 people with the surname Stox. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Stox.
Has Stox become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stox went from 120 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Stox?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stox, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Stox in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stox appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Hispanic (8.1%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Stox (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 Stox mean?
A German surname derived from the occupational term for a stocker or merchant. 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 Stox (0.04 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 Stox?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.