2000
#1,968
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,819
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.23
Uncommon Last name
Stallings
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a place or farm with stalls or a stable.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,614 Americans carry the last name Stallings. That puts it at #2,179 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,414 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stallings 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
19K
1 in 18,414
Census rank
#2,179
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,232 bearers of the surname Stallings in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2179th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stallings, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.3%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stallings
The surname Stallings is believed to have originated in England, tracing its roots back to the Anglo-Saxon era. It is derived from the Old English word "stæling," which means "a dweller" or "a settler." This suggests that the name may have been initially assigned to individuals who settled in a particular area or established a homestead.
The earliest known references to the name Stallings can be found in medieval records from various counties in England, such as Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. The first documented instance of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as "Stallinges."
During the Middle Ages, variations of the name emerged, including Stallin, Stallinge, and Stalling. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and differences in spelling conventions at the time. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include John Stalling, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Somerset in 1230, and Robert Stallyng, mentioned in the Feet of Fines of Essex in 1301.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Stallings became more widespread across England, particularly in the southern and western regions. Notable individuals from this period include Sir John Stallings (1535-1607), a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament for Somerset, and William Stallings (1592-1666), a scholar and author of religious texts.
The name Stallings also has a connection to certain place names in England. For example, the village of Stalling Busk in Yorkshire is believed to have derived its name from the Old English words "stæling" and "busc," meaning "a dwelling in the wood."
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the surname Stallings:
1. Thomas Stallings (1779-1846), an American military officer who served in the War of 1812.
2. William Stallings (1842-1919), an American businessman and co-founder of the Stallings Brothers Company, a successful grocery chain in the southern United States.
3. Laurence Stallings (1894-1968), an American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist best known for his work on the World War I drama "What Price Glory?"
4. William Stallings (1942-), an American author and computer scientist, renowned for his books on computer networking and data communications.
5. Janice Stallings (1955-), an American basketball coach and former player, who led the Baylor University women's basketball team to multiple NCAA tournament appearances.
The surname Stallings has a rich history, tracing its origins back to the Anglo-Saxon period in England. Over the centuries, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including landowners, scholars, military personnel, entrepreneurs, and athletes, leaving an indelible mark on the historical records of both England and the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stallings
Among Census respondents with the surname Stallings, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.3%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Stallings 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 Stallings surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.3% · 11,081
- Black or African American23.4% · 3,797
- Two or more races4.1% · 664
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 532
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 76
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stallings
Stallings 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
#2,093
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,269
+450 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 5.85
Rank movement Down 125 places
2020
#2,179
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,232
-1,037 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 5.43
Rank movement Down 86 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,968 | 16,819 | 6.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,093 | 17,269 | 5.85 | +450 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 125 places |
| 2020 | #2,179 | 16,232 | 5.43 | -1,037 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 86 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 Stallings 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 | #2,093 | #2,179 | -4.1% |
| Count | 17,269 | 16,232 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 5.85 | 5.43 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stallings bearers went from 17,269 to 16,232 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 86 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,093 to #2,179.
FAQ
Stallings surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stallings?
Name Census estimates that about 18,614 living Americans carry the surname Stallings. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,414 residents.
How common is Stallings?
Stallings ranks #2,179 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,232 people with the surname Stallings. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,614), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Stallings.
Has Stallings become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stallings went from 17,269 recorded bearers to 16,232. That is a decrease of 1,037 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,093 to #2,179.
What does the Census say about the background of Stallings?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stallings, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.3%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Stallings in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.3% (11,081 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stallings appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.3%), Black (23.4%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Stallings (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 Stallings mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a place or farm with stalls or a stable. 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 Stallings (5.43 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 Stallings?
You can see how common the surname Stallings is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.