2000
#5,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,315
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.34
Rare Last name
Stumpf
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname meaning "blunt," "dull," or "obtuse," likely referring to a physical or personality trait.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,004 Americans carry the last name Stumpf. That puts it at #5,497 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,937 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stumpf 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
7.0K
1 in 48,937
Census rank
#5,497
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,108 bearers of the surname Stumpf in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5497th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stumpf, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stumpf
The surname Stumpf originated in Germany and dates back to the 12th century. It derived from the Middle High German word "stumpf" which meant "stump" or "tree stump". The name likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent stump or an area with many stumps.
In the early 13th century, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts from the regions of Bavaria and Franconia in southern Germany. One of the earliest documented examples is a Hainrich Stumpf mentioned in a deed from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in 1263.
The name was also found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the region of Franconia, with references to individuals like Cunradus Stumpf (1287) and Bertoldus Stumpf (1318).
In the 14th century, the name spread to other areas of Germany, appearing in records from cities like Nuremberg and Augsburg. Johannes Stumpf, a clergyman born in 1500 in Bruchsal, wrote a famous chronicle titled "Gemeiner loblicher Eydgnoschafft Stetten, Landen und Völckeren Chronick wirdiger Thaaten Beschreybung" (Chronicle of the Laudable Swiss Confederacy's Cities, Lands and Peoples' Worthy Deeds).
Another notable figure was Johannes Stumpf, a theologian born in 1462 in Swabia who authored several works on religious topics. In the 16th century, Hans Stumpf (1505-1586) was a renowned Swiss artist and woodcarver from Zurich.
The name also appeared in various place names and older spellings, such as Stumpfenbach and Stumpfendorf, indicating settlements near stumps or wooded areas. As the name spread across Europe, variations like Stumpff, Stumph, and Stumpfe emerged.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stumpf
Among Census respondents with the surname Stumpf, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Stumpf 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 Stumpf surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 5,675
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 210
- Two or more races2.4% · 147
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 43
- Black or African American0.5% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stumpf
Stumpf 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
#5,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,173
-142 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 2.09
Rank movement Down 529 places
2020
#5,497
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,108
-65 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Up 132 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,100 | 6,315 | 2.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,629 | 6,173 | 2.09 | -142 bearers (-2.2%) | Down 529 places |
| 2020 | #5,497 | 6,108 | 2.04 | -65 bearers (-1.1%) | Up 132 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 Stumpf 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 | #5,629 | #5,497 | 2.3% |
| Count | 6,173 | 6,108 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.09 | 2.04 | -2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stumpf bearers went from 6,173 to 6,108 (-1.1% change). The surname moved up 132 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,629 to #5,497.
FAQ
Stumpf surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stumpf?
Name Census estimates that about 7,004 living Americans carry the surname Stumpf. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,937 residents.
How common is Stumpf?
Stumpf ranks #5,497 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.04 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 6,108 people with the surname Stumpf. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,004), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.04 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 Stumpf.
Has Stumpf become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stumpf went from 6,173 recorded bearers to 6,108. That is a decrease of 65 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,629 to #5,497.
What does the Census say about the background of Stumpf?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stumpf, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Stumpf in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (5,675 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stumpf appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Stumpf (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 Stumpf mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname meaning "blunt," "dull," or "obtuse," likely referring to a physical or personality trait. 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 Stumpf (2.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Stumpf?
Want to know how common the surname Stumpf is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.