Find out how popular the last name Sturdevant is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sturdevant.

Sturdevant, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sturdevant surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sturdevant in America

Sturdevant is the 12009th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sturdevant surname appeared 2,600 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Sturdevant.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sturdevant to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Sturdevant

The surname Sturdevant is of French origin, derived from the Old French words "estur" meaning "battle" and "devant" meaning "before" or "in front of". It is believed to have originated during the Middle Ages, possibly in the 11th or 12th century, and was likely an occupational name given to someone who fought on the frontlines of battles or served as a military leader.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from Normandy, France, dating back to the 13th century. One notable example is a mention of a Robert Sturdevant in the Pipe Rolls of Normandy from 1195. The name also appears in the Domesday Book, a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, which suggests that the name may have been brought to England by Norman settlers following the Norman Conquest of 1066.

Over time, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations such as Sturdivant, Sturdivent, and Sturdivante appearing in different regions. One of the earliest recorded instances of the Sturdevant spelling can be found in the records of the Huguenot Society of London, which mentions a Jean Sturdevant who fled religious persecution in France and settled in England in the late 16th century.

Notable individuals with the surname Sturdevant throughout history include:

1. Sir William Sturdevant (c. 1280 - 1349), an English knight and military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War.
2. Jacques Sturdevant (c. 1520 - 1598), a French Protestant reformer and theologian.
3. John Sturdevant (1615 - 1682), one of the earliest settlers of the Connecticut Colony in America.
4. Sarah Sturdevant (1666 - 1728), an accused witch during the Salem Witch Trials in colonial Massachusetts.
5. Silas Sturdevant (1789 - 1867), an American farmer and inventor who patented an early version of the cotton gin.

The name Sturdevant has been associated with various place names throughout history, such as Sturdevant Manor in Wiltshire, England, and the village of Sturdevant in Normandy, France. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the surname who owned or resided in those locations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sturdevant

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sturdevant.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sturdevant was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sturdevant has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sturdevant was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sturdevant, please contact us.

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