2000
#3,606
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,059
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.36
Uncommon Last name
Stull
Derived from the German word "Stoll," referring to a wooden beam, plank, or post used in construction.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,151 Americans carry the last name Stull. That puts it at #3,897 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,766 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stull 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
10K
1 in 33,766
Census rank
#3,897
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,852 bearers of the surname Stull in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3897th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stull, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stull
The surname Stull is believed to have originated in Germany, most likely during the Middle Ages. It may have derived from the German word "stull," which means a pole or post, suggesting that the name could have been an occupational surname for someone who worked with poles or posts, such as a builder or a farmer.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Stull can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name was already in use in that region during that time period.
The Stull surname can also be found in various historical records from other parts of Germany, including the Rhineland and Bavaria. Some variations in spelling, such as Stul, Stulle, and Stüll, have been documented over the centuries.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Hans Stull was a German architect and stonemason who worked on several significant buildings in the city of Nuremberg. He was born around 1490 and is known for his contributions to the construction of the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) and other prominent landmarks.
Another prominent individual with the Stull surname was Johann Stull, a German theologian and philosopher who lived in the 17th century. He was born in 1592 and served as a professor at the University of Jena, where he published several influential works on religious doctrine and ethics.
In the 18th century, a German-born artist named Johann Wilhelm Stull gained recognition for his landscape paintings. He was born in 1747 and his works were widely admired for their realistic depictions of nature and rural scenes.
As the Stull family spread throughout Europe and beyond, the name can also be found in historical records from other countries, such as the United States and Canada, where many German immigrants settled in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Overall, the surname Stull has a rich history rooted in German culture and tradition, with its earliest origins likely stemming from an occupation or location related to poles or posts. While its exact etymology remains uncertain, the name has been carried by notable individuals throughout various periods and continues to be a part of many family histories today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stull
Among Census respondents with the surname Stull, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Stull 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 Stull surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 8,049
- Two or more races3.5% · 311
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 255
- Black or African American1.8% · 156
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stull
Stull 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
#3,792
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,324
+265 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 3.16
Rank movement Down 186 places
2020
#3,897
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,852
-472 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 2.96
Rank movement Down 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,606 | 9,059 | 3.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,792 | 9,324 | 3.16 | +265 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 186 places |
| 2020 | #3,897 | 8,852 | 2.96 | -472 bearers (-5.1%) | 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 Stull 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 | #3,792 | #3,897 | -2.8% |
| Count | 9,324 | 8,852 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.16 | 2.96 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stull bearers went from 9,324 to 8,852 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,792 to #3,897.
FAQ
Stull surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stull?
Name Census estimates that about 10,151 living Americans carry the surname Stull. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,766 residents.
How common is Stull?
Stull ranks #3,897 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,852 people with the surname Stull. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,151), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Stull.
Has Stull become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stull went from 9,324 recorded bearers to 8,852. That is a decrease of 472 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,792 to #3,897.
What does the Census say about the background of Stull?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stull, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Stull in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (8,049 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stull appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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.
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 Stull (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 Stull mean?
Derived from the German word "Stoll," referring to a wooden beam, plank, or post used in construction. 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 Stull (2.96 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 share the surname Stull?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.