2000
#40,622
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 507
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.19
Very Rare Last name
Stephani
A surname derived from the Greek name Stephanos, meaning "crown" or "wreath".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 573 Americans carry the last name Stephani. That puts it at #45,998 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 598,175 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stephani 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
573
1 in 598,175
Census rank
#45,998
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
500
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 500 bearers of the surname Stephani in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 45998th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stephani, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stephani
The surname Stephani is of German origin, derived from the Greek personal name Stephanos, meaning "crown" or "garland." It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, likely as an occupational name for someone who made or sold crowns or garlands.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Stephani can be traced back to the 13th century in Germany. One notable example is Henricus Stephani, a German theologian and philosopher who lived in the 13th century and wrote extensively on logic and metaphysics.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various records and manuscripts throughout Germany and neighboring regions. For instance, Johannes Stephani, a German priest and scholar, was mentioned in a manuscript from the 1360s for his contributions to the study of canon law.
The surname Stephani has also been associated with notable individuals throughout history. In the 16th century, Robert Stephani (1503-1559) was a renowned French printer and scholar who established the Stephanus printing dynasty in Paris. His editions of classical Greek and Latin texts were highly influential during the Renaissance.
Another significant figure was Hendrik Stephani (1590-1650), a Dutch mathematician and astronomer who made important contributions to the study of logarithms and the calculation of planetary orbits.
In the 18th century, Christian Gottlieb Stephani (1761-1826) was a German botanist and naturalist who conducted extensive research on plants and insects, particularly in Russia, where he served as a professor at the University of Moscow.
The surname Stephani has also been linked to various place names, such as Stephansdorf and Stephanshausen, which are villages in Germany. These place names likely derived from the personal name Stephan or Stephanus, further reinforcing the connection between the surname and its origins.
Throughout its history, the surname Stephani has undergone various spelling variations, including Stephani, Stephany, Stephani, and Stephanny, among others. However, the core meaning and connection to the Greek personal name Stephanos have remained consistent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stephani
Among Census respondents with the surname Stephani, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Stephani 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 Stephani surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 462
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 22
- Two or more races2.4% · 12
- Black or African American0.4% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stephani
Stephani 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
#40,016
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 548
+41 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Up 606 places
2020
#45,998
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 500
-48 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 5,982 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #40,622 | 507 | 0.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #40,016 | 548 | 0.19 | +41 bearers (+8.1%) | Up 606 places |
| 2020 | #45,998 | 500 | 0.17 | -48 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 5,982 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 Stephani 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 | #40,016 | #45,998 | -14.9% |
| Count | 548 | 500 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.17 | -12.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stephani bearers went from 548 to 500 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 5,982 positions in the national ranking, going from #40,016 to #45,998.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Stephani
FAQ
Stephani surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stephani?
Name Census estimates that about 573 living Americans carry the surname Stephani. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 598,175 residents.
How common is Stephani?
Stephani ranks #45,998 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 500 people with the surname Stephani. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (573), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Stephani.
Has Stephani become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stephani went from 548 recorded bearers to 500. That is a decrease of 48 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #40,016 to #45,998.
What does the Census say about the background of Stephani?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stephani, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Stephani in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (462 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stephani appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Stephani (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 Stephani mean?
A surname derived from the Greek name Stephanos, meaning "crown" or "wreath". 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 Stephani (0.17 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 share the surname Stephani?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.