2000
#2,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,590
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.78
Uncommon Last name
Stoner
An occupational surname referring to a mason or worker who builds with stone.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,648 Americans carry the last name Stoner. That puts it at #2,310 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,422 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stoner 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 Stoner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,422
Census rank
#2,310
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,390 bearers of the surname Stoner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2310th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stoner, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stoner
The surname Stoner is an occupational name that originated in England in the medieval period. It derived from the Old English word 'stan' meaning stone, and initially referred to someone who worked with stone, such as a mason or builder. The earliest known record of the name dates back to 1273 in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, where it is spelled as 'le Stonere'.
The Stoner name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset during the 13th and 14th centuries. It is believed that the name may have originated in the village of Stoner, which is located in Oxfordshire and was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Stanere'.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Stoner surname was John Stoner, who was born in Gloucestershire in the late 13th century. He served as a member of the Parliament of England during the reign of King Edward III in the mid-14th century.
In the 15th century, the Stoner family gained prominence in Oxfordshire, with several members holding positions of influence in the local government and church. Notable individuals from this period include Sir William Stoner (1455-1523), who served as the Sheriff of Oxfordshire, and his son, Thomas Stoner (1490-1567), who was a respected clergyman and scholar.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Stoner name continued to be found throughout England, particularly in the southwest regions. One notable figure from this period was Sir Walter Stoner (1572-1645), a Member of Parliament and prominent landowner in Gloucestershire.
In the 18th century, the Stoner surname began to spread beyond England, with individuals bearing the name settling in various parts of the British Empire, including North America and the Caribbean. One such individual was John Stoner (1722-1790), a pioneer and landowner who established a settlement in what is now West Virginia, USA.
Other notable individuals with the Stoner surname throughout history include Sir Edward Stoner (1834-1918), a British army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross, and Emily Stoner (1869-1938), an American educator and activist who played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stoner
Among Census respondents with the surname Stoner, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Stoner 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 Stoner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.8% · 13,514
- Black or African American4.8% · 735
- Two or more races3.5% · 538
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 454
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 60
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stoner
Stoner 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
#2,246
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,204
+614 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 5.49
Rank movement Down 110 places
2020
#2,310
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,390
-814 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 5.15
Rank movement Down 64 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,136 | 15,590 | 5.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,246 | 16,204 | 5.49 | +614 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 110 places |
| 2020 | #2,310 | 15,390 | 5.15 | -814 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 64 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 Stoner 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 | #2,246 | #2,310 | -2.8% |
| Count | 16,204 | 15,390 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 5.49 | 5.15 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stoner bearers went from 16,204 to 15,390 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 64 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,246 to #2,310.
FAQ
Stoner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stoner?
Name Census estimates that about 17,648 living Americans carry the surname Stoner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,422 residents.
How common is Stoner?
Stoner ranks #2,310 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,390 people with the surname Stoner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,648), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Stoner.
Has Stoner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stoner went from 16,204 recorded bearers to 15,390. That is a decrease of 814 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,246 to #2,310.
What does the Census say about the background of Stoner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stoner, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Stoner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.8% (13,514 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stoner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.8%), Black (4.8%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Stoner (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 Stoner mean?
An occupational surname referring to a mason or worker who builds with stone. 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 Stoner (5.15 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 Stoner?
See how many Americans have the surname Stoner on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.