2000
#16,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,573
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Styers
An English surname derived from the Old English word "stig" meaning path or trail.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,680 Americans carry the last name Styers. That puts it at #18,606 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 204,020 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Styers 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
1.7K
1 in 204,020
Census rank
#18,606
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,465 bearers of the surname Styers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18606th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Styers, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Styers
The surname STYERS has its origins in the German language and is believed to have emerged in the region of present-day Germany during the medieval period. It is thought to derive from the Old German word "stiuren," which translates to "steer" or "guide," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who was a helmsman, navigator, or possibly a leader or guide.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name STYERS can be traced back to the 13th century, when it appeared in various historical documents and records from the region of Bavaria. The name was often spelled in different variations, such as "Stieyer," "Stiyer," or "Styeyr," reflecting the phonetic spelling conventions of the time.
In the 14th century, a notable individual bearing the name STYERS was Hans Styers, a merchant and trader who lived in the city of Nuremberg. He is mentioned in several business records and trade documents from that era, indicating that the name had already established itself among the mercantile class.
During the 16th century, the name STYERS appeared in a number of religious texts and manuscripts, suggesting that some individuals with this surname may have been involved in the clergy or played a role in the religious movements of the time. One such example is Joachim Styers, a Protestant minister who lived in the town of Wittenberg during the height of the Reformation.
As the centuries passed, the name STYERS continued to spread across various regions of Germany and beyond. In the 18th century, a prominent figure was Johann Wilhelm Styers, a renowned clockmaker and inventor from the city of Augsburg. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the nobility and affluent classes of the time.
Another notable individual bearing the STYERS surname was Friedrich Styers, a German philosopher and academic who lived during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was a professor at the University of Jena and authored several influential works on ethics and moral philosophy.
While the name STYERS has its roots in Germany, it eventually spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, carried by migrations and diasporas. As with many surnames, the spelling and pronunciation may have evolved over time as it was adopted in different linguistic and cultural contexts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Styers
Among Census respondents with the surname Styers, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Styers 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 Styers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 1,339
- Two or more races4.8% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 16
- Black or African American0.8% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Styers
Styers 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
#17,958
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,556
-17 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.53
Rank movement Down 1,223 places
2020
#18,606
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,465
-91 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.49
Rank movement Down 648 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,735 | 1,573 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,958 | 1,556 | 0.53 | -17 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 1,223 places |
| 2020 | #18,606 | 1,465 | 0.49 | -91 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 648 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 Styers 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 | #17,958 | #18,606 | -3.6% |
| Count | 1,556 | 1,465 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.53 | 0.49 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Styers bearers went from 1,556 to 1,465 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 648 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,958 to #18,606.
FAQ
Styers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Styers?
Name Census estimates that about 1,680 living Americans carry the surname Styers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 204,020 residents.
How common is Styers?
Styers ranks #18,606 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,465 people with the surname Styers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,680), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Styers.
Has Styers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Styers went from 1,556 recorded bearers to 1,465. That is a decrease of 91 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #17,958 to #18,606.
What does the Census say about the background of Styers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Styers, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Styers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (1,339 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Styers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Styers (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 Styers mean?
An English surname derived from the Old English word "stig" meaning path or trail. 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 Styers (0.49 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 Styers?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.