2000
#23,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 992
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.37
Rare Last name
Sterk
A surname derived from the Dutch word meaning strong or powerful.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,249 Americans carry the last name Sterk. That puts it at #23,990 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 274,423 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sterk 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
1.2K
1 in 274,423
Census rank
#23,990
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,089 bearers of the surname Sterk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23990th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sterk, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sterk
The surname Sterk is of Dutch origin, derived from the Old Dutch word "sterc" or "sterk," meaning "strong" or "powerful." It likely originated in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Sterk can be traced back to the 13th century in various Dutch records and manuscripts. One notable example is a reference to a "Jan Sterk" in the Leeuwarderadeel Census of 1511, which documented residents of the Frisian region of the Netherlands.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Sterk became more widely dispersed throughout the Netherlands and neighboring regions, with records indicating individuals bearing the surname in areas like Zuid-Holland, Utrecht, and Gelderland. Some variations in spelling also emerged, such as "Sterck" and "Stercke."
In the 17th century, the name Sterk appears in various historical records related to the Dutch East India Company (VOC), suggesting that some individuals with this surname may have been involved in the company's maritime and trade activities during that time.
One notable figure bearing the surname Sterk was Pieter Sterk (1615-1669), a Dutch painter known for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life. Another prominent individual was Dirk Sterk (1610-1686), a Dutch theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Groningen.
Other notable individuals with the surname Sterk include:
1. Franciscus Sterk (1744-1808), a Dutch mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the calculation of cometary orbits.
2. Jan Sterk (1766-1841), a Dutch Reformed minister and author who wrote extensively on theological subjects.
3. Lambertus Sterk (1801-1875), a Dutch painter and lithographer known for his landscapes and cityscapes.
4. Johannes Sterk (1891-1952), a Dutch physicist and professor who made important contributions to the field of spectroscopy.
5. Pieter Sterk (1919-1998), a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II who later became a prominent politician and served as a member of the Dutch parliament.
The surname Sterk has also been found in various historical records from other parts of Europe, suggesting that it may have spread beyond the Netherlands through migration and trade. However, its roots and earliest documented instances can be traced back to the Dutch regions of the Low Countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sterk
Among Census respondents with the surname Sterk, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sterk 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 Sterk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 1,017
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 37
- Two or more races2.0% · 22
- Black or African American0.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sterk
Sterk 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
#25,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 974
-18 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.33
Rank movement Down 1,607 places
2020
#23,990
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,089
+115 bearers (+11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Up 1,413 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,796 | 992 | 0.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #25,403 | 974 | 0.33 | -18 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 1,607 places |
| 2020 | #23,990 | 1,089 | 0.36 | +115 bearers (+11.8%) | Up 1,413 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 Sterk 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 | #25,403 | #23,990 | 5.6% |
| Count | 974 | 1,089 | 11.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.33 | 0.36 | 10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sterk bearers went from 974 to 1,089 (+11.8% change). The surname moved up 1,413 positions in the national ranking, going from #25,403 to #23,990.
FAQ
Sterk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sterk?
Name Census estimates that about 1,249 living Americans carry the surname Sterk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 274,423 residents.
How common is Sterk?
Sterk ranks #23,990 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.36 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 1,089 people with the surname Sterk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,249), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.36 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 Sterk.
Has Sterk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sterk went from 974 recorded bearers to 1,089. That is an increase of 115 (+11.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #25,403 to #23,990.
What does the Census say about the background of Sterk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sterk, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Sterk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (1,017 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sterk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Sterk (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 Sterk mean?
A surname derived from the Dutch word meaning strong or powerful. 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 Sterk (0.36 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 common is the surname Sterk?
You can see how many people are called Sterk on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.