Stringer last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Stringer is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Stringer.

Meaning of Stringer

A occupational surname for someone who made strings for bows or musical instruments.

Stringer, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Stringer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Stringer in America

Stringer is the 2091st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Stringer surname appeared 17,300 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Stringer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Stringer to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 2091 1999 4.50%
Count 17,300 16,634 3.93%
Proportion per 100k 5.86 6.17 -5.15%

The history of the last name 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Stringer

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Stringer.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Stringer was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 75.75% 13,105
Non-Hispanic Black Only 19.42% 3,360
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.45% 78
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.38% 66
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.05% 355
Hispanic Origin 1.95% 337

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Stringer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 75.75% 77.67% -2.50%
Black 19.42% 18.85% 2.98%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.45% 0.45% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.38% 0.41% -7.59%
Two or More Races 2.05% 1.41% 36.99%
Hispanic 1.95% 1.20% 47.62%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Stringer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Stringer, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Stringer last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 5, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/stringer-surname-popularity/.

"Stringer last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/stringer-surname-popularity/. Accessed 5 October, 2024

Stringer last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/stringer-surname-popularity/.

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