2000
#6,613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,728
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.75
Rare Last name
Stringfellow
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of laces, cords, or bowstrings.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,224 Americans carry the last name Stringfellow. That puts it at #7,084 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,611 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stringfellow 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 Stringfellow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 65,611
Census rank
#7,084
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,556 bearers of the surname Stringfellow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7084th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stringfellow, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.0%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stringfellow
The surname Stringfellow is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "string" and "felagh," which together meant "one who made strings or cords." This occupation-based surname reflects the trade or profession of an ancestor who likely worked as a maker of strings, ropes, or cords.
The earliest known recorded instance of the Stringfellow surname dates back to the 13th century. In 1273, a Robert Stringfellow was documented in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, which were early census-like records maintained during the reign of King Edward I.
The Stringfellow name has also been found in various historical records and documents, including the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, where a John Strengfelewe was listed. This variation in spelling was common during the time when surnames were becoming hereditary, as they were often recorded based on how they sounded rather than adhering to a standardized spelling.
Among the notable individuals bearing the Stringfellow surname throughout history are:
1. William Stringfellow (1628-1684), an English puritan clergyman and author who served as the rector of Woodhill in Bedfordshire.
2. Horace Stringfellow (1810-1883), an American lawyer and politician who served as a judge in Mississippi and was a member of the Confederate Congress during the Civil War.
3. Frank Stringfellow (1839-1910), an American soldier and lawyer who fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War and later served as a judge in Texas.
4. Nathaniel Stringfellow (1808-1861), an American lawyer and slavery advocate who played a prominent role in the border wars between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the Kansas Territory during the 1850s.
5. Benjamin Stringfellow (1840-1913), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in the Midlands region of England during the late 19th century.
The Stringfellow surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Stringfellow Farm in Worcestershire and Stringfellow House in Shropshire, both of which likely derived their names from individuals bearing the surname who resided in or owned those properties.
Overall, the surname Stringfellow has a rich history rooted in the medieval English tradition of occupation-based surnames, reflecting the trade of an ancestor involved in the making of strings, cords, or ropes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stringfellow
Among Census respondents with the surname Stringfellow, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.0%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Stringfellow 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 Stringfellow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.0% · 3,144
- Black or African American22.7% · 1,035
- Two or more races4.0% · 184
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 124
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stringfellow
Stringfellow 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
#7,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,730
+2 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Down 465 places
2020
#7,084
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,556
-174 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,613 | 4,728 | 1.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,078 | 4,730 | 1.60 | +2 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 465 places |
| 2020 | #7,084 | 4,556 | 1.52 | -174 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 6 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 Stringfellow 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 | #7,078 | #7,084 | -0.1% |
| Count | 4,730 | 4,556 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.60 | 1.52 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stringfellow bearers went from 4,730 to 4,556 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,078 to #7,084.
FAQ
Stringfellow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stringfellow?
Name Census estimates that about 5,224 living Americans carry the surname Stringfellow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,611 residents.
How common is Stringfellow?
Stringfellow ranks #7,084 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,556 people with the surname Stringfellow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,224), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.52 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Stringfellow.
Has Stringfellow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stringfellow went from 4,730 recorded bearers to 4,556. That is a decrease of 174 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,078 to #7,084.
What does the Census say about the background of Stringfellow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stringfellow, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.0%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Stringfellow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.0% (3,144 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stringfellow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.0%), Black (22.7%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Stringfellow (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 Stringfellow mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of laces, cords, or bowstrings. 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 Stringfellow (1.52 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 Stringfellow?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.