2000
#54
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 312,899
First available Census row
Per 100,000 115.99
Common Last name
Stewart
A Scottish occupational surname referring to the steward of a royal or noble household.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 357,124 Americans carry the last name Stewart. That puts it at #61 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 104.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 960 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stewart 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 Stewart with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
357K
1 in 960
Census rank
#61
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
104.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
311K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 311,429 bearers of the surname Stewart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 104.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 61st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stewart, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stewart
The surname Stewart is of Scottish origin, deriving from the occupation of a steward or estate manager. It emerged around the 12th century, from the Old English and Anglo-Norman French word "stiward" or "stuard," meaning an administrative officer responsible for managing a household or estate.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Stewart can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the late 12th century, where it appears as "Stuard." Over time, the spelling evolved to the modern form of "Stewart," which became the predominant spelling in Scotland by the 15th century.
The Stewart family rose to prominence during the 13th century when Walter Stewart, a nobleman from Renfrewshire, married Marjorie, the daughter of King Robert I of Scotland (1274-1329). Their son, Robert II (1316-1390), became the first monarch of the House of Stewart, ruling Scotland from 1371 to 1390.
The Stewarts played a significant role in Scottish history, with several members ascending to the Scottish throne, including Robert III (1337-1406), James I (1394-1437), James II (1430-1460), and Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587). The Stewart dynasty ruled Scotland until the union with England in 1603, when King James VI of Scotland also became King James I of England.
Another notable figure with the surname Stewart was Sir John Stewart of Darnley (1366-1429), who served as Constable of Scotland and fought alongside King Robert III during the Anglo-Scottish Wars.
In the 16th century, Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley (1545-1567), gained notoriety as the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the father of King James VI of Scotland.
Martha Stewart (born 1941), the American businesswoman, author, and television personality, is one of the most famous modern-day bearers of the Stewart surname.
The surname Stewart has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Stewart Island, Stewart's Melville College in Edinburgh, and the town of Stewartry in Dumfries and Galloway.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stewart
Among Census respondents with the surname Stewart, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Stewart 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 Stewart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.4% · 206,909
- Black or African American24.3% · 75,684
- Two or more races4.4% · 13,830
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 10,893
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2,163
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1,950
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stewart
Stewart 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
#61
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 324,957
+12,058 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 110.16
Rank movement Down 7 places
2020
#61
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 311,429
-13,528 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 104.19
Rank movement No rank change
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #54 | 312,899 | 115.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #61 | 324,957 | 110.16 | +12,058 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 7 places |
| 2020 | #61 | 311,429 | 104.19 | -13,528 bearers (-4.2%) | No rank change |
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 Stewart 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 | #61 | #61 | 0.0% |
| Count | 324,957 | 311,429 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 110.16 | 104.19 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stewart bearers went from 324,957 to 311,429 (-4.2% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, remaining at #61.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Stewart
FAQ
Stewart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stewart?
Name Census estimates that about 357,124 living Americans carry the surname Stewart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 960 residents.
How common is Stewart?
Stewart ranks #61 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 104.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 104 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 311,429 people with the surname Stewart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (357,124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 104.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 104.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 104 of them to have the surname Stewart.
Has Stewart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stewart went from 324,957 recorded bearers to 311,429. That is a decrease of 13,528 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it stayed at #61.
What does the Census say about the background of Stewart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stewart, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Stewart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.4% (206,909 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stewart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.4%), Black (24.3%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Stewart (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 Stewart mean?
A Scottish occupational surname referring to the steward of a royal or noble household. 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 Stewart (104.19 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 Stewart?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.