2000
#11,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,533
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Studebaker
A German occupational surname referring to a carpenter specializing in building wooden houses or barns.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,877 Americans carry the last name Studebaker. That puts it at #11,922 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,136 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Studebaker 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
2.9K
1 in 119,136
Census rank
#11,922
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,509 bearers of the surname Studebaker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11922nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Studebaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Studebaker
The surname Studebaker has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "studebach," which means "a small stream" or "a brook." This suggests that the name was likely associated with individuals who lived near a small stream or brook in the early days.
One of the earliest recorded references to the Studebaker name can be found in the records of the Palatinate region of Germany, where a family by the name of Studebacher was mentioned in the 1600s. The name underwent various spelling variations over time, including Stutenbecker, Studebecker, and Studebaker.
The Studebakers were among the early German immigrants to the United States, with some members of the family arriving in Pennsylvania in the 18th century. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America is that of Peter Studebaker, who was born in 1736 in Muhlhofen, Germany, and later immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1736.
In the 19th century, the Studebaker family became prominent in the manufacturing industry, particularly in the production of wagons and carriages. Clement Studebaker (1831-1901) and his brothers, including John M. Studebaker (1833-1917), established the Studebaker Corporation in South Bend, Indiana, which later became one of the leading automobile manufacturers in the United States.
Other notable individuals with the Studebaker surname include:
1. Jacob Studebaker (1793-1835), an early member of the Studebaker family in America and a blacksmith by trade.
2. Henry Studebaker (1826-1897), one of the founders of the Studebaker Corporation and a pioneer in the wagon-manufacturing industry.
3. Henry A. Studebaker (1857-1936), an American businessman and executive who served as the president of the Studebaker Corporation.
4. Albert R. Studebaker (1836-1917), a politician and businessman from Indiana who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
5. John W. Studebaker (1833-1917), a co-founder of the Studebaker Corporation and a prominent business leader in South Bend, Indiana.
The Studebaker name has left an indelible mark on American history, particularly in the fields of manufacturing, transportation, and business. Although the Studebaker Corporation ceased operations in the 1960s, the name continues to be associated with innovation, quality, and entrepreneurial spirit.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Studebaker
Among Census respondents with the surname Studebaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Studebaker 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 Studebaker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 2,274
- Two or more races4.3% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 93
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Studebaker
Studebaker 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
#11,919
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,627
+94 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 509 places
2020
#11,922
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,509
-118 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,410 | 2,533 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,919 | 2,627 | 0.89 | +94 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 509 places |
| 2020 | #11,922 | 2,509 | 0.84 | -118 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 3 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 Studebaker 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 | #11,919 | #11,922 | -0.0% |
| Count | 2,627 | 2,509 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.84 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Studebaker bearers went from 2,627 to 2,509 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,919 to #11,922.
FAQ
Studebaker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Studebaker?
Name Census estimates that about 2,877 living Americans carry the surname Studebaker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,136 residents.
How common is Studebaker?
Studebaker ranks #11,922 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,509 people with the surname Studebaker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,877), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Studebaker.
Has Studebaker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Studebaker went from 2,627 recorded bearers to 2,509. That is a decrease of 118 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,919 to #11,922.
What does the Census say about the background of Studebaker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Studebaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Studebaker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (2,274 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Studebaker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Studebaker (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 Studebaker mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a carpenter specializing in building wooden houses or barns. 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 Studebaker (0.84 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 Studebaker?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.