2000
#4,858
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,631
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.46
Rare Last name
Sturdivant
Derived from a place name meaning "sturdy ford" in Old English, referring to a strong river crossing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,703 Americans carry the last name Sturdivant. That puts it at #5,060 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,496 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sturdivant 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
7.7K
1 in 44,496
Census rank
#5,060
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,717 bearers of the surname Sturdivant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5060th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sturdivant, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.8%. The next largest groups are White (38.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sturdivant
The surname Sturdivant is of Anglo-Saxon origin, specifically from the English county of Lancashire. It is derived from the Old English words "sturdi" meaning "hardy" or "robust", and "vant" which was a place name suffix referring to a dweller or resident. Thus, the name likely originated as a nickname for a strong, resilient person residing in a particular area.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname dates back to the 13th century in the Lancashire tax rolls. It appeared in various spellings like Sturdyvaunt, Sturdivaunte, and Sturdivante. These regional spelling variations were common before standardized spelling emerged in later centuries.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1275, a census-like record of landowners in England, there is an entry for a Richard Sturdivant who held lands in the village of Eccleston, Lancashire. This provides evidence of the name's early establishment in the region.
The Sturdivant name is also found in the Wills Records of Chester from the late 15th century, showing its continued presence in the area. One notable entry is the will of John Sturdivant, a yeoman farmer from Croston, dated 1487.
Moving into the 16th century, the Sturdivant family expanded their presence across northern England. Records show a William Sturdivant born in 1532 in Yorkshire, and a Thomas Sturdivant, born in 1547 in Westmorland.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir Edward Sturdivant, a distinguished military officer who served under King Henry VIII in the early 1500s. He was knighted for his bravery in the Battle of Flodden Field in 1513.
Another notable figure was Reverend James Sturdivant, born in 1598 in Lancashire. He was a prominent Puritan minister and played a role in the religious conflicts of the English Civil War era during the 1600s.
In the 18th century, the Sturdivant name appeared across the Atlantic in the American colonies. One of the earliest arrivals was John Sturdivant, who settled in Virginia in 1723, having migrated from England.
The 19th century saw the Sturdivant family spread further across the United States. One prominent individual was Amos Sturdivant, born in 1810 in Tennessee, who became a successful businessman and landowner in Mississippi.
Throughout its history, the Sturdivant surname has maintained its association with strength, resilience, and a connection to its Lancashire roots. While the spelling has been standardized, the name continues to reflect its Anglo-Saxon origins and the journey of its bearers across England and eventually to the New World.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sturdivant
Among Census respondents with the surname Sturdivant, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.8%. The next largest groups are White (38.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Sturdivant 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 Sturdivant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American51.8% · 3,482
- White38.7% · 2,602
- Two or more races5.2% · 352
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 200
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sturdivant
Sturdivant 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
#4,876
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,223
+592 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 2.45
Rank movement Down 18 places
2020
#5,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,717
-506 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 2.25
Rank movement Down 184 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,858 | 6,631 | 2.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,876 | 7,223 | 2.45 | +592 bearers (+8.9%) | Down 18 places |
| 2020 | #5,060 | 6,717 | 2.25 | -506 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 184 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 Sturdivant 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 | #4,876 | #5,060 | -3.8% |
| Count | 7,223 | 6,717 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.45 | 2.25 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sturdivant bearers went from 7,223 to 6,717 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 184 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,876 to #5,060.
FAQ
Sturdivant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sturdivant?
Name Census estimates that about 7,703 living Americans carry the surname Sturdivant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,496 residents.
How common is Sturdivant?
Sturdivant ranks #5,060 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.25 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 6,717 people with the surname Sturdivant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,703), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.25 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 Sturdivant.
Has Sturdivant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sturdivant went from 7,223 recorded bearers to 6,717. That is a decrease of 506 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,876 to #5,060.
What does the Census say about the background of Sturdivant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sturdivant, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.8%. The next largest groups are White (38.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sturdivant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.8% (3,482 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sturdivant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (51.8%), White (38.7%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Sturdivant (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 Sturdivant mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "sturdy ford" in Old English, referring to a strong river crossing. 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 Sturdivant (2.25 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 Sturdivant?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.