2000
#1,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,946
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.88
Uncommon Last name
Stroud
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Stroud, derived from Old English for "marshy land."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 26,138 Americans carry the last name Stroud. That puts it at #1,534 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,113 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stroud 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 Stroud with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 13,113
Census rank
#1,534
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,794 bearers of the surname Stroud in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1534th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stroud, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stroud
The surname STROUD has its origins in the West Country of England, specifically in the county of Gloucestershire. It is a locational surname derived from the town of Stroud, which takes its name from the Old English words "strod" or "stroud," meaning a marshy or swampy area.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Strodwolde." This entry refers to a person who lived in or near the town of Stroud.
In the 13th century, records show the name spelled as "Stroude" and "Strode." These variations highlight the fluidity of spelling conventions in those times.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Sir John Stroud, a member of the English parliament in the late 14th century. He was born in Stroud around 1350 and was a prominent landowner in the region.
Another notable figure was William Stroud, a clothier and entrepreneur who lived in Stroud in the 16th century. He was instrumental in establishing the town's thriving wool trade and helped to build its prosperity.
In the 17th century, Thomas Stroud, born in 1620, was a prominent Puritan minister who served as the vicar of Eastington, a village near Stroud.
The STROUD surname also has connections to the United States. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of John Stroud, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 from England.
A famous bearer of the name was George Stroud, an English-born landscape painter who lived from 1701 to 1778. He was known for his depictions of the English countryside and helped to establish the picturesque tradition in British art.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the surname STROUD throughout history, demonstrating its deep roots in the English West Country and its subsequent spread to other parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stroud
Among Census respondents with the surname Stroud, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Stroud 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 Stroud surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.5% · 16,985
- Black or African American16.7% · 3,802
- Two or more races4.4% · 1,007
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 695
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 154
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 151
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stroud
Stroud 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
#1,477
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,211
+265 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 8.21
Rank movement Down 120 places
2020
#1,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,794
-1,417 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 7.63
Rank movement Down 57 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,357 | 23,946 | 8.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,477 | 24,211 | 8.21 | +265 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 120 places |
| 2020 | #1,534 | 22,794 | 7.63 | -1,417 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 57 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 Stroud 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 | #1,477 | #1,534 | -3.9% |
| Count | 24,211 | 22,794 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 8.21 | 7.63 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stroud bearers went from 24,211 to 22,794 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 57 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,477 to #1,534.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Stroud
FAQ
Stroud surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stroud?
Name Census estimates that about 26,138 living Americans carry the surname Stroud. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,113 residents.
How common is Stroud?
Stroud ranks #1,534 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,794 people with the surname Stroud. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (26,138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Stroud.
Has Stroud become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stroud went from 24,211 recorded bearers to 22,794. That is a decrease of 1,417 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,477 to #1,534.
What does the Census say about the background of Stroud?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stroud, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.7%) 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 Stroud in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.5% (16,985 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stroud appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.5%), Black (16.7%), 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 Stroud (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 Stroud mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Stroud, derived from Old English for "marshy land." 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 Stroud (7.63 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 Stroud?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Stroud is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.