2000
#11,138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,613
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Sturdevant
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "Sturt's fen or stream."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,687 Americans carry the last name Sturdevant. That puts it at #12,596 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 127,560 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sturdevant 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
2.7K
1 in 127,560
Census rank
#12,596
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,343 bearers of the surname Sturdevant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12596th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sturdevant, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from Normandy, France, dating back to the 13th century.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sturdevant
Among Census respondents with the surname Sturdevant, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Sturdevant 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 Sturdevant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 2,081
- Two or more races3.7% · 86
- Black or African American3.2% · 76
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 73
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sturdevant
Sturdevant 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
#12,009
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,600
-13 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 871 places
2020
#12,596
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,343
-257 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 587 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,138 | 2,613 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,009 | 2,600 | 0.88 | -13 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 871 places |
| 2020 | #12,596 | 2,343 | 0.78 | -257 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 587 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 Sturdevant 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 | #12,009 | #12,596 | -4.9% |
| Count | 2,600 | 2,343 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.78 | -10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sturdevant bearers went from 2,600 to 2,343 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 587 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,009 to #12,596.
FAQ
Sturdevant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sturdevant?
Name Census estimates that about 2,687 living Americans carry the surname Sturdevant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 127,560 residents.
How common is Sturdevant?
Sturdevant ranks #12,596 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,343 people with the surname Sturdevant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,687), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Sturdevant.
Has Sturdevant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sturdevant went from 2,600 recorded bearers to 2,343. That is a decrease of 257 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,009 to #12,596.
What does the Census say about the background of Sturdevant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sturdevant, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (3.2%). 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 Sturdevant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (2,081 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sturdevant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Black (3.2%). 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 Sturdevant (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 Sturdevant mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "Sturt's fen or stream." 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 Sturdevant (0.78 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 surname Sturdevant?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.