2000
#4,419
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,423
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.75
Rare Last name
Stroup
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "strupe," meaning a strap or thong maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,266 Americans carry the last name Stroup. That puts it at #4,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,466 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stroup 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
8.3K
1 in 41,466
Census rank
#4,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,208 bearers of the surname Stroup in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stroup, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stroup
The surname Stroup originated in Germany and is thought to have been derived from the Middle High German word "strup," meaning a cluster or clump. This could refer to a person who lived in a cluster of houses or a settlement.
The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 14th century in the town of Straubing, Bavaria. In a manuscript from 1362, a man named Hans Stroup is mentioned as a landowner in the area.
Throughout the Middle Ages, various spellings of the name can be found in different regions of Germany, such as Strub, Strube, and Straubel. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.
In the 16th century, the name Stroup appears in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a family of tanners and leatherworkers bore this surname. One notable member was Christoph Stroup, who was born in 1542 and became a respected craftsman in the city.
As German immigrants began to settle in other parts of Europe and eventually in the Americas, the name Stroup spread to new regions. In the 18th century, a Johann Stroup is recorded as having been a farmer in the Palatinate region of Germany before immigrating to Pennsylvania in the 1740s.
Another prominent figure was Friedrich Wilhelm Stroup, a German philosopher and writer who lived from 1771 to 1838. He was a proponent of Kantian idealism and wrote several works on metaphysics and ethics.
During the 19th century, the Stroup name can be found in various parts of Germany, as well as in areas with significant German immigrant populations, such as parts of the United States and Canada.
Overall, the surname Stroup has a long and rich history, originating in Germany and spreading to other parts of the world through migration and emigration. Its meaning and variations have evolved over time, but it remains a testament to the cultural and linguistic diversity of the regions where it has been present.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stroup
Among Census respondents with the surname Stroup, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Stroup 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 Stroup surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 6,608
- Two or more races3.5% · 253
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 240
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 31
- Black or African American0.4% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stroup
Stroup 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
#4,650
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,627
+204 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 2.59
Rank movement Down 231 places
2020
#4,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,208
-419 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 2.41
Rank movement Down 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,419 | 7,423 | 2.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,650 | 7,627 | 2.59 | +204 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 231 places |
| 2020 | #4,755 | 7,208 | 2.41 | -419 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 105 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 Stroup 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 | #4,650 | #4,755 | -2.3% |
| Count | 7,627 | 7,208 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.59 | 2.41 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stroup bearers went from 7,627 to 7,208 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,650 to #4,755.
FAQ
Stroup surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stroup?
Name Census estimates that about 8,266 living Americans carry the surname Stroup. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,466 residents.
How common is Stroup?
Stroup ranks #4,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.41 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 7,208 people with the surname Stroup. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,266), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.41 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 Stroup.
Has Stroup become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stroup went from 7,627 recorded bearers to 7,208. That is a decrease of 419 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,650 to #4,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Stroup?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stroup, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Stroup in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (6,608 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stroup appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Stroup (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 Stroup mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "strupe," meaning a strap or thong maker. 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 Stroup (2.41 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 Stroup?
If you just want to know how many people are called Stroup, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.