2000
#10,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,722
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Stefan
A surname derived from the Greek name Stephanos, meaning "crown" or "wreath," often bestowed upon early Christians.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,923 Americans carry the last name Stefan. That puts it at #11,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,261 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stefan 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 Stefan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 117,261
Census rank
#11,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,549 bearers of the surname Stefan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stefan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stefan
The surname Stefan has its origins in Eastern Europe, particularly in countries such as Serbia, Croatia, and Bulgaria. It is derived from the Greek word "stephanos," meaning "crown" or "wreath." The name gained popularity in the medieval period and was often given to individuals born on St. Stephen's Day or associated with the feast day.
In the 11th century, the name Stefan appeared in various historical records and documents across the Balkan region. One notable example is the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, which mentions Stefan Vojislav, the ruler of the medieval Serbian state of Duklja, in the early 11th century.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Stefan can be traced back to the 13th century in regions like Serbia and Croatia. During this time, the name was often associated with places or villages, such as Stefan Selo (Stefan's Village) or Stefan Voda (Stefan's River).
In the 14th century, the Serbian ruler Stefan Dušan (1308-1355) took the surname Stefan and established the Serbian Empire, which stretched from the Adriatic Sea to the Aegean Sea. His reign marked a significant period in Serbian history, and the name Stefan became closely associated with the Serbian royal dynasty.
Another notable figure bearing the surname Stefan was Stefan cel Mare (Stephen the Great), the Prince of Moldavia (1457-1504), who is celebrated as a national hero in Moldova and Romania for his military victories against the Ottoman Empire.
In the 16th century, the name Stefan gained prominence in Russia, where it was adopted by the Romanov dynasty. Tsar Stefan Fyodorovich Romanov (1557-1605) was the last Tsar of the Rurik dynasty, and his daughter, Tsarevna Ksenya Borisovna, married into the Romanov family, paving the way for their ascension to the throne.
Other famous individuals with the surname Stefan include Stefan Dimitrov (1935-2008), a Bulgarian actor renowned for his roles in numerous films and theater productions, and Stefan Stambolov (1854-1895), a prominent Bulgarian statesman and revolutionary who served as Prime Minister of Bulgaria in the late 19th century.
The surname Stefan has undergone various spelling variations throughout history, including Stefanov, Stefanovic, Stefanovski, and Stefanescu, reflecting the diverse regional influences and linguistic variations across Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stefan
Among Census respondents with the surname Stefan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Stefan 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 Stefan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 2,355
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 79
- Two or more races2.6% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 25
- Black or African American0.9% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stefan
Stefan 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
#10,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,013
+291 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 129 places
2020
#11,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,549
-464 bearers (-15.4%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 1,127 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,757 | 2,722 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,628 | 3,013 | 1.02 | +291 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 129 places |
| 2020 | #11,755 | 2,549 | 0.85 | -464 bearers (-15.4%) | Down 1,127 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 Stefan 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 | #10,628 | #11,755 | -10.6% |
| Count | 3,013 | 2,549 | -15.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 0.85 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stefan bearers went from 3,013 to 2,549 (-15.4% change). The surname moved down 1,127 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,628 to #11,755.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Stefan
FAQ
Stefan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stefan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,923 living Americans carry the surname Stefan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,261 residents.
How common is Stefan?
Stefan ranks #11,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,549 people with the surname Stefan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,923), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Stefan.
Has Stefan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stefan went from 3,013 recorded bearers to 2,549. That is a decrease of 464 (-15.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,628 to #11,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Stefan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stefan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Stefan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (2,355 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stefan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Stefan (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 Stefan mean?
A surname derived from the Greek name Stephanos, meaning "crown" or "wreath," often bestowed upon early Christians. 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 Stefan (0.85 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 are called Stefan?
You can see how many people have the surname Stefan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.