2000
#9,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,050
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Stryker
An occupational surname referring to a striker or a blacksmith's assistant who operated the machinery.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,298 Americans carry the last name Stryker. That puts it at #10,621 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,928 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stryker 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
3.3K
1 in 103,928
Census rank
#10,621
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,876 bearers of the surname Stryker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10621st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stryker, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stryker
The surname Stryker originated in the Netherlands and Germany during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Dutch word "strijker," which means "striker" or "beater." The name likely referred to a person who was a cloth beater or fuller, responsible for beating and thickening woolen cloth.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Dutch province of Gelderland in the late 13th century, where a man named Henric die Stryker was mentioned in official records. The name also appeared in various German regions, such as the Rhineland, where it was spelled as "Streicher" or "Stricker."
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Stryker name became more widespread throughout the Netherlands and Germany. In 1592, a Dutch artist named Hendrick Stryker was born in Amsterdam. He was known for his landscape paintings and seascapes.
As the Dutch colonized parts of North America in the 17th century, some individuals with the surname Stryker immigrated to the New World. One notable early American with this name was Jacob Stryker, who was born in 1648 in New Amsterdam (later known as New York City). He served as a magistrate and was involved in the local government.
Another significant figure in American history was Samuel Stryker, a brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was born in 1740 in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, and played a crucial role in several battles against the British forces.
In the 19th century, John Stryker, an American businessman and philanthropist, made a name for himself. He was born in 1796 in New York and amassed a significant fortune through his involvement in various industries, including banking and real estate. He donated generously to educational institutions and charitable organizations.
Other notable individuals with the surname Stryker include:
1. Jan Strijker (1557-1629), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his portraits and history paintings.
2. Dirck Strijcker (1598-1670), a Dutch Golden Age painter who specialized in still life and genre scenes.
3. Melville Stryker (1851-1924), an American lawyer and judge from New Jersey who served as the president of the New Jersey State Bar Association.
4. Samuel Stryker (1820-1892), an American Civil War soldier and author who wrote several books on the history of New Jersey.
5. John Stryker Budd (1814-1896), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from California.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stryker
Among Census respondents with the surname Stryker, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Stryker 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 Stryker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 2,574
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 109
- Two or more races3.3% · 95
- Black or African American1.7% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stryker
Stryker 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
#10,531
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,046
-4 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 749 places
2020
#10,621
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,876
-170 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 90 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,782 | 3,050 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,531 | 3,046 | 1.03 | -4 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 749 places |
| 2020 | #10,621 | 2,876 | 0.96 | -170 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 90 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 Stryker 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 | #10,531 | #10,621 | -0.9% |
| Count | 3,046 | 2,876 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.96 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stryker bearers went from 3,046 to 2,876 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 90 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,531 to #10,621.
FAQ
Stryker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stryker?
Name Census estimates that about 3,298 living Americans carry the surname Stryker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,928 residents.
How common is Stryker?
Stryker ranks #10,621 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,876 people with the surname Stryker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,298), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Stryker.
Has Stryker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stryker went from 3,046 recorded bearers to 2,876. That is a decrease of 170 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,531 to #10,621.
What does the Census say about the background of Stryker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stryker, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (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 Stryker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (2,574 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stryker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (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 Stryker (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 Stryker mean?
An occupational surname referring to a striker or a blacksmith's assistant who operated the machinery. 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 Stryker (0.96 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 have the surname Stryker?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.