2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Styve
A variant of "Steven" of English origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Styve. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Styve 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Styve in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Styve, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Styve
The surname STYVE has its origins in England, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "stiff," which referred to a person's physical stature or temperament. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was Stive, found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1221.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was William Styve, a landowner mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Wiltshire in 1273. The name also appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, referring to John Styve.
During the 14th century, the surname STYVE spread across various regions of England, with variations in spelling emerging, such as Styff, Styfe, and Stive. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.
In the 15th century, the STYVE surname appeared in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence between members of the Paston family in Norfolk. One notable figure was John Styve, born in 1437, who served as a scholar and clerk at the University of Cambridge.
As the centuries progressed, the STYVE family continued to leave their mark in various fields. One notable individual was Robert Styve (1543-1609), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London. Another was William Styve (1612-1678), a renowned author and philosopher who wrote extensively on religious and moral subjects.
In the 18th century, the STYVE surname gained further recognition with the birth of Thomas Styve (1735-1802), a renowned architect and surveyor who contributed to the design of several notable buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
The 19th century saw the emergence of George Styve (1819-1892), a prominent industrialist and entrepreneur who played a significant role in the development of the textile industry in northern England.
Throughout its long history, the surname STYVE has been associated with various place names, such as Styveton in Wiltshire and Styveham in Gloucestershire, further reinforcing its English roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Styve
Among Census respondents with the surname Styve, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Styve 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 Styve surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 98
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Styve
Styve appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 107 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 Styve 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 | #151,532 | #151,639 | -0.1% |
| Count | 108 | 107 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Styve bearers went from 108 to 107 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 107 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #151,639.
FAQ
Styve surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Styve?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Styve. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Styve?
Styve ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 107 people with the surname Styve. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Styve.
Has Styve become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Styve went from 108 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Styve?
Among Census respondents with the surname Styve, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Styve in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Styve appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Styve (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 Styve mean?
A variant of "Steven" of English origin. 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 Styve (0.04 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 common is the surname Styve?
See how many people have the surname Styve on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.