2000
#12,822
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,202
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Stringham
Derived from a place name meaning "homestead or village on the stony ground" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,603 Americans carry the last name Stringham. That puts it at #12,942 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,677 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stringham 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
2.6K
1 in 131,677
Census rank
#12,942
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,270 bearers of the surname Stringham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12942nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stringham, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stringham
The surname Stringham originated in England, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to derive from the Old English words "string" and "ham," meaning a "homestead or settlement by a string or stream." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who resided near a particular stream or watercourse.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which listed a landowner named Strinham in Norfolk. This entry provides evidence that the name was already established in parts of England by the late 11th century.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, variations of the name, such as Stryngham and Stryngham, can be found in various historical records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273 and the Feet of Fines for Norfolk from 1345. These records indicate that the name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk.
Notable individuals with the surname Stringham include William Stringham (1617-1685), an English Puritan minister and author from Norfolk. Another early bearer of the name was Captain Silas Stringham (1796-1876), a distinguished officer in the United States Navy who saw action in the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War.
In the 19th century, Silas H. Stringham (1822-1891), a lawyer and politician from New York, served as a member of the United States House of Representatives. Another notable figure was Joseph Stringham (1835-1915), an American architect who designed several prominent buildings in New York City and Philadelphia.
One of the most famous individuals with the Stringham surname was Sir Edward Stringham (1675-1737), an English naval officer and Member of Parliament. He played a significant role in the War of the Spanish Succession, commanding several ships in battles against the French and Spanish fleets.
While the Stringham surname has its origins in England, it eventually spread to other parts of the world, including North America, due to migration and settlement patterns. However, the earliest recorded examples and historical references to the name can be traced back to its English roots in the medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stringham
Among Census respondents with the surname Stringham, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Stringham 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 Stringham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 2,084
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 108
- Two or more races2.3% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stringham
Stringham 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
#13,531
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,242
+40 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 709 places
2020
#12,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,270
+28 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 589 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,822 | 2,202 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,531 | 2,242 | 0.76 | +40 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 709 places |
| 2020 | #12,942 | 2,270 | 0.76 | +28 bearers (+1.2%) | Up 589 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 Stringham 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 | #13,531 | #12,942 | 4.4% |
| Count | 2,242 | 2,270 | 1.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.76 | -0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stringham bearers went from 2,242 to 2,270 (+1.2% change). The surname moved up 589 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,531 to #12,942.
FAQ
Stringham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stringham?
Name Census estimates that about 2,603 living Americans carry the surname Stringham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,677 residents.
How common is Stringham?
Stringham ranks #12,942 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,270 people with the surname Stringham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,603), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Stringham.
Has Stringham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stringham went from 2,242 recorded bearers to 2,270. That is an increase of 28 (+1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,531 to #12,942.
What does the Census say about the background of Stringham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stringham, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Stringham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (2,084 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stringham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Stringham (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 Stringham mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "homestead or village on the stony ground" in Old English. 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 Stringham (0.76 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 Stringham?
See how many people have the last name Stringham on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.