2000
#2,461
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,450
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.99
Uncommon Last name
Storey
An occupational surname referring to a builder or mason who constructed storeyed buildings.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,320 Americans carry the last name Storey. That puts it at #2,636 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,373 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Storey 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 Storey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,373
Census rank
#2,636
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,360 bearers of the surname Storey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2636th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Storey, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Storey
The surname Storey is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "stor" meaning a person who lived near a large wood or grove. It first appeared in the 11th century in areas around Yorkshire and Lancashire.
The name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, with entries for "Stori" in Yorkshire and "Sturai" in Lancashire. These early spellings reflect the Old English pronunciation and spelling variations common at the time.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Robert de Storey, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1199. The "de" prefix indicates he hailed from a specific place called Storey.
During the 13th century, the name began appearing in various spellings such as Stori, Storii, and Storey, reflecting the evolution of the English language. Many of these early bearers likely lived near or were associated with a place called Storey, which may have derived its name from the Old English word "stor."
In the 14th century, John Storey, a merchant from York, was mentioned in records from 1379. Around the same time, a William Storey was recorded as a landowner in Lancashire in 1386.
Notable people with the surname Storey include:
1. Lancelot Storey (c.1520-1573), an English politician and Member of Parliament.
2. Samuel Storey (1651-1719), an English nonconformist minister and author.
3. Thomas Storey (1753-1828), an English architect and surveyor who worked on several notable buildings in Yorkshire.
4. William Storey (1792-1856), an English engineer and inventor who patented improvements to the steam engine.
5. John Storey (1826-1887), an English businessman and philanthropist who founded the Storey Institute in Lancaster.
The surname Storey continues to be found predominantly in England, with many bearers tracing their roots back to the northern counties where the name first emerged.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Storey
Among Census respondents with the surname Storey, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Storey 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 Storey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.1% · 10,829
- Black or African American9.8% · 1,304
- Two or more races4.0% · 529
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 526
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 91
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 81
Timeline
Historical Census data for Storey
Storey 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
#2,635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,669
+219 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 4.63
Rank movement Down 174 places
2020
#2,636
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,360
-309 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 4.47
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,461 | 13,450 | 4.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,635 | 13,669 | 4.63 | +219 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 174 places |
| 2020 | #2,636 | 13,360 | 4.47 | -309 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 1 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 Storey 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 | #2,635 | #2,636 | -0.0% |
| Count | 13,669 | 13,360 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.63 | 4.47 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Storey bearers went from 13,669 to 13,360 (-2.3% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,635 to #2,636.
FAQ
Storey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Storey?
Name Census estimates that about 15,320 living Americans carry the surname Storey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,373 residents.
How common is Storey?
Storey ranks #2,636 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,360 people with the surname Storey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,320), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Storey.
Has Storey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Storey went from 13,669 recorded bearers to 13,360. That is a decrease of 309 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,635 to #2,636.
What does the Census say about the background of Storey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Storey, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Storey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.1% (10,829 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Storey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.1%), Black (9.8%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Storey (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 Storey mean?
An occupational surname referring to a builder or mason who constructed storeyed buildings. 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 Storey (4.47 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 surname Storey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.