2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Stynes
A surname derived from the Gaelic personal name Stythyn or Stythin, of uncertain meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 158 Americans carry the last name Stynes. That puts it at #129,045 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,169,331 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stynes 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 Stynes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
158
1 in 2,169,331
Census rank
#129,045
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
138
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 138 bearers of the surname Stynes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 129045th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stynes, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stynes
The surname Stynes is believed to have originated in Ireland. It is thought to be an Anglicized version of the Gaelic name Ó Stíne, meaning "descendant of Stíne." The name Stíne itself is derived from the Irish word "stíon," which means "obedient" or "peaceful."
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 16th century in County Kilkenny, Ireland. In the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, there is a record from 1587 mentioning a Richard O'Shyne, which is likely an early spelling variation of the name.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various records from County Kilkenny and neighboring counties. One notable example is the Hearth Money Rolls of 1664-1665, which lists several households with the surname Stynes or Stines in the towns of Callan and Knocktopher.
A prominent figure in Irish history bearing this name was Sir William Stynes (1660-1732), a lawyer and politician from County Kilkenny. He served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Gowran and was appointed Solicitor-General for Ireland in 1714.
Another notable individual was Patrick Stynes (1826-1899), an Irish Catholic priest and educator from County Kilkenny. He was the founder of St. Kieran's College, a prestigious secondary school in Kilkenny City.
In the 19th century, the name can be found in various parish records and census records from counties like Kilkenny, Tipperary, and Waterford. One example is the 1901 Census of Ireland, which lists several families with the surname Stynes in the town of Thomastown, County Kilkenny.
James Stynes (1891-1953) was a prominent Irish nationalist and republican who fought in the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. He was later elected as a member of Dáil Éireann (the Irish Parliament) for the Clann na Poblachta party.
Throughout history, the name has also been found in various spellings, such as Styne, Stines, Stiney, and Steene, reflecting the evolution of language and regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stynes
Among Census respondents with the surname Stynes, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Stynes 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 Stynes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.4% · 111
- Two or more races7.2% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.9% · 4
- Black or African American2.2% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stynes
Stynes 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+4 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,190 places
2020
#129,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
+17 bearers (+14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 9,259 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 5,190 places |
| 2020 | #129,045 | 138 | 0.05 | +17 bearers (+14.0%) | Up 9,259 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 Stynes 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 | #138,304 | #129,045 | 6.7% |
| Count | 121 | 138 | 14.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 15.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stynes bearers went from 121 to 138 (+14.0% change). The surname moved up 9,259 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #129,045.
FAQ
Stynes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stynes?
Name Census estimates that about 158 living Americans carry the surname Stynes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,169,331 residents.
How common is Stynes?
Stynes ranks #129,045 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 138 people with the surname Stynes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (158), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Stynes.
Has Stynes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stynes went from 121 recorded bearers to 138. That is an increase of 17 (+14.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #138,304 to #129,045.
What does the Census say about the background of Stynes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stynes, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Stynes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.4% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stynes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.4%), Two or More Races (7.2%), Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Stynes (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 Stynes mean?
A surname derived from the Gaelic personal name Stythyn or Stythin, of uncertain meaning. 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 Stynes (0.05 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 Stynes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.