2000
#128,797
National surname rank
First available Census row
A Scandinavian surname possibly derived from a place name or referring to a person living in a stump or stub of a house.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Stubstad. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stubstad 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Stubstad in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stubstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
The surname STUBSTAD originated in Norway, with its earliest known references dating back to the 16th century. It is a locational surname, derived from the Norwegian farm name "Stubstad," which is composed of the Old Norse elements "stubb" (tree stump) and "stadr" (place or farm). This suggests that the name likely originated from a farm or settlement located near a prominent tree stump or forested area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the STUBSTAD surname can be found in the Danish Census of 1787, where a family bearing the name was documented as residing in the town of Kristiansand, Norway. Another notable early reference is the baptismal record of Nils Jonsen Stubstad, born in 1642 in the parish of Fjære, Aust-Agder, Norway.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, individuals with the STUBSTAD surname played significant roles in various aspects of Norwegian society. Notable examples include:
1. Hans Eriksen Stubstad (1745-1821), a farmer and landowner from Fjære, known for his contributions to local agriculture.
2. Kirsten Andersdatter Stubstad (1789-1867), a renowned textile artisan whose intricate embroidery and weaving techniques were highly acclaimed.
3. Iver Knudsen Stubstad (1815-1892), a prominent merchant and shipowner from Arendal, who played a crucial role in the town's maritime trade.
4. Olav Stubstad (1838-1909), a Lutheran minister and theologian, known for his influential sermons and writings on Christian faith.
5. Ingrid Marie Stubstad (1871-1945), a pioneering educator who established one of the first schools for girls in the rural regions of Telemark.
While the STUBSTAD surname is relatively uncommon outside of Norway, it has a rich history deeply rooted in the country's cultural and historical landscape, with many notable individuals contributing to various aspects of Norwegian society over the centuries.
Demographics
Among Census respondents with the surname Stubstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Stubstad 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 Stubstad surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
Timeline
Stubstad 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.
2000
National surname rank
First available Census row
2010
National surname rank
-19 bearers (-15.6%)
2020
National surname rank
+4 bearers (+3.9%)
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -19 bearers (-15.6%) | Down 28,437 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.9%) | Up 5,595 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
How has the Stubstad surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #157,234 | #151,639 | 3.6% |
| Count | 103 | 107 | 3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stubstad bearers went from 103 to 107 (+3.9% change). The surname moved up 5,595 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #151,639.
FAQ
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Stubstad. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
Stubstad ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Stubstad. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Stubstad.
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stubstad went from 103 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 4 (+3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #151,639.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stubstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Stubstad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (105 people in the source table).
Stubstad appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Black (0.9%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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.
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 Stubstad (2000, 2010, 2020).
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.
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.
A Scandinavian surname possibly derived from a place name or referring to a person living in a stump or stub of a house. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
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.
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 Stubstad (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.