2000
#10,951
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,666
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Stults
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "stult," meaning "proud" or "stately."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,101 Americans carry the last name Stults. That puts it at #11,190 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,530 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stults 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
3.1K
1 in 110,530
Census rank
#11,190
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,704 bearers of the surname Stults in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11190th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stults, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stults
The surname Stults is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the word "Stolt," which means "proud" or "arrogant" in German. This could suggest that the name was initially given as a nickname or descriptive term for someone with a haughty or self-important demeanor.
The earliest known records of the Stults surname can be found in the German states of Bavaria and Saxony. In the 1500s, there are mentions of individuals with the name Stoltze or Stultz in various local records and documents. These variations in spelling were common during that era, as standardized spellings were not yet established.
One of the earliest documented instances of the Stults surname appears in the parish records of the town of Fürth, Bavaria, in the year 1583. Here, a Hans Stultz is listed as a resident. Another early reference can be found in the town of Altenburg, Saxony, where a Caspar Stoltze is recorded as a landowner in 1612.
As the Stults family spread across German-speaking regions, the name evolved into various spellings, such as Stults, Stultz, and Stulze. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and the preferences of individual scribes or record-keepers.
One notable figure bearing the Stults surname was Johann Stultz (1668-1738), a German composer and organist from Saxony. He is known for his contributions to the development of the Baroque style of music in Germany.
Another prominent individual was Christoph Friedrich Stultz (1749-1819), a German-born architect who emigrated to England in the late 18th century. He was renowned for his neoclassical designs and was responsible for several notable buildings in London, including the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded Stults families can be traced back to Johann Stults, who arrived in Pennsylvania from Germany in the early 1700s. His descendants went on to settle in various parts of the country, with many still bearing the Stults surname today.
A noteworthy American with the Stults surname was John Stults (1795-1874), a prominent figure in the early development of the state of Indiana. He served as a member of the Indiana General Assembly and was instrumental in establishing several educational institutions in the region.
Another individual of historical significance was Charles Stults (1838-1914), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War. He rose to the rank of Brevet Brigadier General and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery in the Battle of Missionary Ridge in 1863.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stults
Among Census respondents with the surname Stults, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Stults 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 Stults surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 2,471
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 98
- Two or more races3.3% · 88
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 29
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stults
Stults 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
#11,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,748
+82 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 512 places
2020
#11,190
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,704
-44 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 273 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,951 | 2,666 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,463 | 2,748 | 0.93 | +82 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 512 places |
| 2020 | #11,190 | 2,704 | 0.90 | -44 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 273 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 Stults 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 | #11,463 | #11,190 | 2.4% |
| Count | 2,748 | 2,704 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.90 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stults bearers went from 2,748 to 2,704 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 273 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,463 to #11,190.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Stults
FAQ
Stults surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stults?
Name Census estimates that about 3,101 living Americans carry the surname Stults. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,530 residents.
How common is Stults?
Stults ranks #11,190 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,704 people with the surname Stults. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,101), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Stults.
Has Stults become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stults went from 2,748 recorded bearers to 2,704. That is a decrease of 44 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,463 to #11,190.
What does the Census say about the background of Stults?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stults, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Stults in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (2,471 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stults appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Stults (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 Stults mean?
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "stult," meaning "proud" or "stately." 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 Stults (0.90 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 Stults?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Stults at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.