2000
#5,507
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,799
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.15
Rare Last name
Sturgis
Derived from a place name meaning "fort covered with straw" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,439 Americans carry the last name Sturgis. That puts it at #5,917 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,231 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sturgis 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sturgis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.4K
1 in 53,231
Census rank
#5,917
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,615 bearers of the surname Sturgis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5917th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sturgis, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sturgis
The surname Sturgis is believed to have originated in England, with its roots dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words "sturgeon" and "hithe," which together referred to a landing place or port where sturgeon fish were brought ashore.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Sturgis name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was listed as "Sturgie" in the county of Oxfordshire. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with individuals who lived or worked near a sturgeon landing place.
During the Middle Ages, the name evolved into various spellings, including Sturges, Sturgess, and Sturgis. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling practices at the time.
In the 14th century, records show a Thomas Sturgis who was a prominent landowner in the county of Dorset. Another notable figure was John Sturgis, born around 1550, who served as a member of the English Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
The Sturgis surname also has connections to place names. For example, the town of Sturgis in South Dakota, founded in 1878, was named after a surveyor named John Sturgis. Similarly, the village of Sturgis in Mississippi was named after a local landowner named Sturgis in the early 19th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Sturgis surname. These include:
1. William Sturgis (1782-1863), an American merchant and philanthropist from Massachusetts.
2. Russell Sturgis (1805-1887), an American architect and writer on architecture.
3. Julian Sturgis (1836-1904), an American lawyer and author from Massachusetts.
4. Howard Overing Sturgis (1855-1920), an English novelist and poet.
5. William Codman Sturgis (1877-1944), an American architect and educator from Massachusetts.
The Sturgis name has been carried across generations and has maintained its presence in various parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries. While its origins can be traced back to England, the name has evolved and spread, reflecting the diverse histories and migrations of families over centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sturgis
Among Census respondents with the surname Sturgis, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Sturgis 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 Sturgis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.7% · 3,576
- Black or African American28.3% · 1,591
- Two or more races4.3% · 243
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 165
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sturgis
Sturgis 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
#5,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,885
+86 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 2.00
Rank movement Down 356 places
2020
#5,917
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,615
-270 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.88
Rank movement Down 54 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,507 | 5,799 | 2.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,863 | 5,885 | 2.00 | +86 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 356 places |
| 2020 | #5,917 | 5,615 | 1.88 | -270 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 54 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 Sturgis 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 | #5,863 | #5,917 | -0.9% |
| Count | 5,885 | 5,615 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.00 | 1.88 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sturgis bearers went from 5,885 to 5,615 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 54 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,863 to #5,917.
FAQ
Sturgis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sturgis?
Name Census estimates that about 6,439 living Americans carry the surname Sturgis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,231 residents.
How common is Sturgis?
Sturgis ranks #5,917 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.88 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 5,615 people with the surname Sturgis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,439), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.88 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 Sturgis.
Has Sturgis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sturgis went from 5,885 recorded bearers to 5,615. That is a decrease of 270 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,863 to #5,917.
What does the Census say about the background of Sturgis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sturgis, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Sturgis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.7% (3,576 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sturgis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.7%), Black (28.3%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Sturgis (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 Sturgis mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "fort covered with straw" in Old English. 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 Sturgis (1.88 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 Sturgis?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Sturgis on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.