2000
#162
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 149,802
First available Census row
Per 100,000 55.53
Common Last name
Stone
An occupational surname referring to someone who lived or worked near a prominent rock or who worked as a stonecutter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 168,576 Americans carry the last name Stone. That puts it at #184 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 49.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,033 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stone 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 Stone with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
169K
1 in 2,033
Census rank
#184
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
49.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
147K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 147,006 bearers of the surname Stone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 49.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 184th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stone, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stone
The surname STONE is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "stan" meaning a stone or rock. It likely originated as a toponymic name for someone who lived near a prominent stone or rocky area.
The name STONE can be traced back to the 11th century in England, with early recordings found in the Domesday Book of 1086. This significant historical record includes references to individuals bearing variations of the name, such as Radulfus de la Stane and Willelmus de Stanes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the STONE surname appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a Richard de la Stone is listed. In the same century, the Placita de Quo Warranto records from 1292 mention a John de la Stone from Worcestershire.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname was often spelled with prefixes like "de la" or "atte," indicating a person's association with a particular location or landmark. Examples include Geoffrey atte Stone from Essex in 1327 and John de la Stone from Staffordshire in 1332.
Notable historical figures with the surname STONE include:
1. William Stone (1603-1660), an English settler and the third Proprietary Governor of Maryland.
2. Gregory Stone (1586-1655), an English mathematician and astronomer.
3. Nicholas Stone (1586-1647), an English sculptor and architect during the Renaissance period.
4. Thomas Stone (1743-1787), a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence from Maryland.
5. Ebenezer Stone (1766-1846), an American minister and educator who served as the fifth President of Yale College.
The surname STONE has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Stoneham in Hampshire, Stoneleigh in Warwickshire, and Stonehouse in Gloucestershire, further reinforcing its connection to physical landmarks or geological features.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stone
Among Census respondents with the surname Stone, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Stone 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 Stone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.4% · 121,199
- Black or African American8.1% · 11,910
- Two or more races4.1% · 6,079
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 5,156
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1,332
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1,330
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stone
Stone 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
#178
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 153,329
+3,527 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 51.98
Rank movement Down 16 places
2020
#184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 147,006
-6,323 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 49.18
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #162 | 149,802 | 55.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #178 | 153,329 | 51.98 | +3,527 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 16 places |
| 2020 | #184 | 147,006 | 49.18 | -6,323 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 6 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 Stone 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 | #178 | #184 | -3.4% |
| Count | 153,329 | 147,006 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 51.98 | 49.18 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stone bearers went from 153,329 to 147,006 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #178 to #184.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Stone
FAQ
Stone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stone?
Name Census estimates that about 168,576 living Americans carry the surname Stone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,033 residents.
How common is Stone?
Stone ranks #184 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 49.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 49 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 147,006 people with the surname Stone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (168,576), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 49.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 49.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 49 of them to have the surname Stone.
Has Stone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stone went from 153,329 recorded bearers to 147,006. That is a decrease of 6,323 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #178 to #184.
What does the Census say about the background of Stone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stone, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) 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 Stone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.4% (121,199 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.4%), Black (8.1%), 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 Stone (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 Stone mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who lived or worked near a prominent rock or who worked as a stonecutter. 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 Stone (49.18 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 Stone?
You can see how many people have the last name Stone on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.