2000
#34,342
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 624
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Very Rare Last name
Stolberg
A German topographic surname denoting someone from the town of Stolberg.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 682 Americans carry the last name Stolberg. That puts it at #39,820 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 502,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stolberg 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
682
1 in 502,572
Census rank
#39,820
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
595
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 595 bearers of the surname Stolberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 39820th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stolberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stolberg
The surname Stolberg originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the German place name "Stolberg," which means "proud mountain" or "lofty hill." The name is thought to be related to the town of Stolberg, located in the Harz Mountains of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
The earliest known record of the Stolberg name appears in a 13th-century document from the region of Saxony-Anhalt, where it was used to identify an individual from the town of Stolberg. Over time, the name spread to other parts of Germany and eventually to other countries as people migrated.
One notable historical figure with the surname Stolberg was Albrecht von Stolberg-Wernigerode (1508-1574), a German count and Protestant reformer who played a significant role in the Reformation. He was a supporter of Martin Luther and helped to establish Protestantism in his territories.
Another prominent individual with the Stolberg surname was Christian Ernst Graf zu Stolberg-Wernigerode (1691-1771), a German nobleman and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Prussia under King Frederick the Great from 1744 to 1757.
In the literary realm, Friedrich Leopold zu Stolberg-Stolberg (1750-1819) was a German poet and writer who was part of the Göttingen Hain literary movement. He is known for his translations of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, as well as his own poetic works.
Matthias Claudius Stolberg (1694-1774) was a German Lutheran theologian and hymnist who wrote several influential hymns, including "Wir pflügen und wir streuen" (We Plow and We Sow).
Another notable figure was Christian von Stolberg-Stolberg (1748-1821), a German nobleman and writer who converted to Catholicism and became an influential figure in the Catholic revival movement in Germany.
While the Stolberg surname originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage. However, its roots remain firmly grounded in the historical regions of Saxony-Anhalt and the Harz Mountains, where the name first emerged.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stolberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Stolberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Stolberg 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 Stolberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 534
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 22
- Two or more races3.7% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 9
- Black or African American1.0% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stolberg
Stolberg 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
#34,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 648
+24 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 493 places
2020
#39,820
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 595
-53 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 4,985 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,342 | 624 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #34,835 | 648 | 0.22 | +24 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 493 places |
| 2020 | #39,820 | 595 | 0.20 | -53 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 4,985 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 Stolberg 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 | #34,835 | #39,820 | -14.3% |
| Count | 648 | 595 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.22 | 0.20 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stolberg bearers went from 648 to 595 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 4,985 positions in the national ranking, going from #34,835 to #39,820.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Stolberg
FAQ
Stolberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stolberg?
Name Census estimates that about 682 living Americans carry the surname Stolberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 502,572 residents.
How common is Stolberg?
Stolberg ranks #39,820 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 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 595 people with the surname Stolberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (682), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 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 Stolberg.
Has Stolberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stolberg went from 648 recorded bearers to 595. That is a decrease of 53 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #34,835 to #39,820.
What does the Census say about the background of Stolberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stolberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Stolberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (534 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stolberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Stolberg (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 Stolberg mean?
A German topographic surname denoting someone from the town of Stolberg. 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 Stolberg (0.20 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 Stolberg?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.