2000
#668
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 46,662
First available Census row
Per 100,000 17.30
Uncommon Last name
Stephenson
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Stephen, meaning "son of Stephen" or "descendant of Stephen."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 53,455 Americans carry the last name Stephenson. That puts it at #723 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,412 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stephenson 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 Stephenson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
53K
1 in 6,412
Census rank
#723
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
47K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 46,615 bearers of the surname Stephenson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 723rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stephenson, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stephenson
The surname Stephenson is an English patronymic name derived from the personal name Stephen. The name originated in the late 12th century following the Norman conquest of England. It is composed of two elements: the personal name Stephen, from the Greek name Stephanos meaning "crown" or "wreath", and the suffix "-son" denoting "son of".
Stephenson is a common surname found in counties such as Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Lancashire, where it was particularly concentrated in the medieval period. The name first appeared in records in the late 12th century, with early spellings such as Stevensone, Stevenson, and Stephenson.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mentions a William Stephenson. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also list several individuals with the name, including Robert Stevenson in Oxfordshire and William Stevenson in Buckinghamshire.
The surname is associated with several notable individuals throughout history, such as George Stephenson (1781-1848), the pioneering English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who is renowned as the "Father of Railways". Another notable bearer of the name was Sir James Stephenson (1808-1892), an English civil engineer who designed numerous railway lines and bridges in India during the British Raj.
Other historical figures include John Stephenson (1559-1616), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of James I, and Thomas Stephenson (1819-1898), a British trade unionist and founder of the National Agricultural Labourers' Union.
The surname Stephenson has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Stephenson's Farm in Northumberland and Stephenson's Cottage in Cumbria, reflecting the geographical distribution and prominence of the name in certain regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stephenson
Among Census respondents with the surname Stephenson, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Stephenson 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 Stephenson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.9% · 35,845
- Black or African American13.8% · 6,443
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,917
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 1,792
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 360
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 258
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stephenson
Stephenson 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
#733
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,641
+979 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 16.15
Rank movement Down 65 places
2020
#723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 46,615
-1,026 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 15.60
Rank movement Up 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #668 | 46,662 | 17.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #733 | 47,641 | 16.15 | +979 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 65 places |
| 2020 | #723 | 46,615 | 15.60 | -1,026 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 10 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 Stephenson 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 | #733 | #723 | 1.4% |
| Count | 47,641 | 46,615 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 16.15 | 15.60 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stephenson bearers went from 47,641 to 46,615 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #733 to #723.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Stephenson
FAQ
Stephenson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stephenson?
Name Census estimates that about 53,455 living Americans carry the surname Stephenson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,412 residents.
How common is Stephenson?
Stephenson ranks #723 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 16 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 46,615 people with the surname Stephenson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (53,455), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 16 of them to have the surname Stephenson.
Has Stephenson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stephenson went from 47,641 recorded bearers to 46,615. That is a decrease of 1,026 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #733 to #723.
What does the Census say about the background of Stephenson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stephenson, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) 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 Stephenson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.9% (35,845 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stephenson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.9%), Black (13.8%), 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 Stephenson (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 Stephenson mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Stephen, meaning "son of Stephen" or "descendant of Stephen." 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 Stephenson (15.60 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 Stephenson?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Stephenson is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.