2000
#1,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,634
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.17
Uncommon Last name
Stringer
A occupational surname for someone who made strings for bows or musical instruments.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,627 Americans carry the last name Stringer. That puts it at #2,176 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,401 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stringer 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 Stringer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,401
Census rank
#2,176
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,244 bearers of the surname Stringer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2176th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stringer, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stringer
The surname Stringer originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English word "streng," meaning a string or cord. It was an occupational name given to those who made or worked with strings and ropes, such as bowstring makers or stringers of musical instruments.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1170, where a person named Robert le Strenger is mentioned. The surname also appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a John le Strenger from Oxfordshire.
In the 13th century, the name was sometimes spelled as "Stryngere" or "Stryngour," reflecting the variations in medieval English spelling. Records from this period show Stringers residing in various parts of England, including Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire.
The Stringer name can be traced back to certain place names as well. For instance, there is a village called Stringers Common in Gloucestershire, which likely took its name from individuals bearing the Stringer surname who lived in the area.
One notable person with the surname Stringer was Sir Thomas Stringer (c. 1537-1589), an English soldier and diplomat who served under Queen Elizabeth I. He played a crucial role in negotiating the Treaty of Nonsuch with the Dutch in 1585.
Another historical figure was John Stringer (1668-1737), an English mathematician and astronomer. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1713 and made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
In the literary world, Arthur Stringer (1874-1950) was a Canadian novelist and poet known for his works set in the Canadian wilderness and the Klondike Gold Rush era. Some of his notable works include "The Prairie Wife" and "The Mud Larks."
The Stringer surname was also prominent in the legal profession. Sir Henry Stringer (1872-1945) was a British judge who served as the Lord Chief Justice of England from 1920 to 1925.
Lastly, mention can be made of Sir Hugh Stringer (1912-1006), a British civil engineer who played a significant role in the construction of the Mulberry Harbours during World War II, which aided the Allied invasion of Normandy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stringer
Among Census respondents with the surname Stringer, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Stringer 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 Stringer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.6% · 11,796
- Black or African American19.3% · 3,141
- Two or more races4.2% · 677
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 467
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 97
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 66
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stringer
Stringer 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
#2,091
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,300
+666 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 5.86
Rank movement Down 92 places
2020
#2,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,244
-1,056 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 5.43
Rank movement Down 85 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,999 | 16,634 | 6.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,091 | 17,300 | 5.86 | +666 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 92 places |
| 2020 | #2,176 | 16,244 | 5.43 | -1,056 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 85 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 Stringer 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 | #2,091 | #2,176 | -4.1% |
| Count | 17,300 | 16,244 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.86 | 5.43 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stringer bearers went from 17,300 to 16,244 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 85 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,091 to #2,176.
FAQ
Stringer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stringer?
Name Census estimates that about 18,627 living Americans carry the surname Stringer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,401 residents.
How common is Stringer?
Stringer ranks #2,176 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.43 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 16,244 people with the surname Stringer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,627), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.43 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 Stringer.
Has Stringer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stringer went from 17,300 recorded bearers to 16,244. That is a decrease of 1,056 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,091 to #2,176.
What does the Census say about the background of Stringer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stringer, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Stringer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.6% (11,796 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stringer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.6%), Black (19.3%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Stringer (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 Stringer mean?
A occupational surname for someone who made strings for bows or musical instruments. 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 Stringer (5.43 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 Stringer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.