2000
#181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138,742
First available Census row
Per 100,000 51.43
Common Last name
Stephens
A patronymic surname derived from the Greek name Stephanos, meaning "crown" or "wreath," referring to the father's name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 159,951 Americans carry the last name Stephens. That puts it at #197 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 46.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,143 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stephens 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 Stephens with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
160K
1 in 2,143
Census rank
#197
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
46.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
139K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 139,485 bearers of the surname Stephens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 46.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 197th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stephens, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stephens
The surname Stephens is of English origin and derives from the Greek name Stephanos, meaning "crown" or "garland." It emerged as a surname in medieval England, often bestowed upon those who worked as stewards or crown-bearers, maintaining royal households or estates.
The earliest records of the name Stephens date back to the late 12th century, with mentions in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Walter Stephens, a landowner in Somerset mentioned in the Feet of Fines for 1196.
During the 13th century, the name Stephens appeared in various forms, including Stevenes, Stevenes, and Stephanes, reflecting regional pronunciation variations. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 record a William Stephene from Oxfordshire, while the Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem from 1300 mentions a John Stephenes from Kent.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England compiled in 1086, does not directly mention the surname Stephens. However, it does record several individuals with the given name Stephanus or Stefanus, which likely contributed to the eventual development of the surname.
Notable historical figures with the surname Stephens include Sir John Stephens (c. 1561-1615), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament during the reign of Elizabeth I. Another prominent bearer was Jeremy Stephens (1592-1665), a Puritan minister and one of the founders of Harvard College in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
In later centuries, the Stephens surname produced several distinguished individuals, such as Alexander Stephens (1812-1883), an American politician who served as the Vice President of the Confederate States during the American Civil War. Sir Leslie Stephens (1832-1904) was a notable English writer, critic, and the first editor of the Dictionary of National Biography.
Other notable individuals with this surname include Sir James Fitzjames Stephens (1829-1894), an English lawyer and legal philosopher, and Dame Georgina Stephens (1903-1995), an English actress and theater director who received widespread acclaim for her Shakespearean performances.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stephens
Among Census respondents with the surname Stephens, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Stephens 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 Stephens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.6% · 98,520
- Black or African American20.1% · 28,007
- Two or more races4.5% · 6,249
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4,956
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 881
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 872
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stephens
Stephens 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
#190
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 144,646
+5,904 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 49.04
Rank movement Down 9 places
2020
#197
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139,485
-5,161 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 46.67
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #181 | 138,742 | 51.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #190 | 144,646 | 49.04 | +5,904 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 9 places |
| 2020 | #197 | 139,485 | 46.67 | -5,161 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 7 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 Stephens 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 | #190 | #197 | -3.7% |
| Count | 144,646 | 139,485 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 49.04 | 46.67 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stephens bearers went from 144,646 to 139,485 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #190 to #197.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Stephens
FAQ
Stephens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stephens?
Name Census estimates that about 159,951 living Americans carry the surname Stephens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,143 residents.
How common is Stephens?
Stephens ranks #197 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 46.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 47 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 139,485 people with the surname Stephens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (159,951), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 46.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 46.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 47 of them to have the surname Stephens.
Has Stephens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stephens went from 144,646 recorded bearers to 139,485. That is a decrease of 5,161 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #190 to #197.
What does the Census say about the background of Stephens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stephens, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Stephens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.6% (98,520 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stephens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.6%), Black (20.1%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Stephens (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 Stephens mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the Greek name Stephanos, meaning "crown" or "wreath," referring to the father's name. 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 Stephens (46.67 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 Stephens?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.