2000
#2,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,444
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.35
Uncommon Last name
Stearns
Derived from an Old English place name meaning "stern" or "severe," likely referring to a stark landscape.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,983 Americans carry the last name Stearns. That puts it at #2,520 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stearns 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 Stearns with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,445
Census rank
#2,520
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,938 bearers of the surname Stearns in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2520th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stearns, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stearns
The surname Stearns is of English origin, deriving from an Old English word "stærn" meaning stern or harsh. It is believed to have originated as a nickname for someone with a stern or severe demeanor.
The name can be traced back to the 11th century, with records showing a Walter Sterne living in Nottinghamshire, England, around 1086. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, mentions a family named Sterne residing in Derbyshire.
The earliest recorded spelling of the surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1176, where it appears as "Starn." Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, including Sterne, Stearne, and eventually Stearns.
One notable historical figure bearing the name Stearns was Isaac Stearns, born in 1601 in England. He emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630 and was among the founders of Watertown, Massachusetts. His descendants went on to play significant roles in the American Revolution and the early development of the United States.
Another prominent individual was Robert Stearns, born in 1677 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was a merchant and landowner who served as a judge and councilor in the colonial government of Massachusetts.
In the 19th century, George Luther Stearns (1809-1867) was a prominent American industrialist and abolitionist from Massachusetts. He played a crucial role in financing and supporting the anti-slavery movement, including John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry.
Other notable individuals with the surname Stearns include Alfred Stearns (1805-1886), a British-born American merchant and philanthropist, and Justus Stearns (1810-1885), a renowned American educator and author.
The surname Stearns has been associated with various place names, such as Stearns County in Minnesota, named after Charles T. Stearns, an early settler and fur trader. Additionally, the town of Stearns in Kentucky was named after Reverend John Stearns, a Baptist minister who played a significant role in the Great Awakening religious movement in the 18th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stearns
Among Census respondents with the surname Stearns, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Stearns 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 Stearns surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 12,255
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 519
- Two or more races3.5% · 491
- Black or African American3.1% · 439
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 119
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 115
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stearns
Stearns 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
#2,479
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,554
+110 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 4.93
Rank movement Down 177 places
2020
#2,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,938
-616 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 4.66
Rank movement Down 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,302 | 14,444 | 5.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,479 | 14,554 | 4.93 | +110 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 177 places |
| 2020 | #2,520 | 13,938 | 4.66 | -616 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 41 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 Stearns 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 | #2,479 | #2,520 | -1.7% |
| Count | 14,554 | 13,938 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 4.93 | 4.66 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stearns bearers went from 14,554 to 13,938 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,479 to #2,520.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Stearns
FAQ
Stearns surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stearns?
Name Census estimates that about 15,983 living Americans carry the surname Stearns. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,445 residents.
How common is Stearns?
Stearns ranks #2,520 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.66 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 13,938 people with the surname Stearns. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,983), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.66 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 Stearns.
Has Stearns become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stearns went from 14,554 recorded bearers to 13,938. That is a decrease of 616 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,479 to #2,520.
What does the Census say about the background of Stearns?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stearns, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Stearns in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (12,255 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stearns appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Stearns (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 Stearns mean?
Derived from an Old English place name meaning "stern" or "severe," likely referring to a stark landscape. 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 Stearns (4.66 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 Americans have the surname Stearns?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.