2000
#2,340
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,171
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.25
Uncommon Last name
Stump
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a tree stump or in a cleared area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,177 Americans carry the last name Stump. That puts it at #2,657 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,584 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stump 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 Stump with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,584
Census rank
#2,657
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,235 bearers of the surname Stump in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2657th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stump, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stump
The surname STUMP is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is thought to have first appeared in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "stumpen" or "stump", which referred to a tree stump or a short, thick piece of wood.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the STUMP surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name was already established in England by the late 11th century.
In its early years, the STUMP surname may have been used as a descriptive nickname for someone who had a stocky or sturdy build, or possibly someone who lived near a prominent tree stump or wooded area. Over time, it transitioned from a nickname to a hereditary surname.
The STUMP surname has been traced to various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk, among others. Some early spellings of the name included Stumpe, Stump, and Stumpp.
Notable individuals with the STUMP surname throughout history include:
1. Robert Stump (c. 1550-1615), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Scarborough in the early 17th century.
2. John Stump (1599-1662), an English clergyman and academic who served as the President of Magdalen College, Oxford.
3. Hermann Stump (1737-1801), a German-American gunsmith and inventor who is credited with developing the first successful breech-loading rifle.
4. Jesse Stump (1776-1832), an American farmer and politician who represented Ohio in the United States House of Representatives from 1817 to 1819.
5. William Stump (1822-1890), an American lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania from 1882 to 1888.
While the STUMP surname may not be as common as some others, it has a rich history dating back to medieval England and has been borne by notable individuals across various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stump
Among Census respondents with the surname Stump, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Stump 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 Stump surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 12,001
- Two or more races3.5% · 468
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 346
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 234
- Black or African American1.0% · 126
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 60
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stump
Stump 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
#2,539
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,257
+86 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 4.83
Rank movement Down 199 places
2020
#2,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,235
-1,022 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 4.43
Rank movement Down 118 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,340 | 14,171 | 5.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,539 | 14,257 | 4.83 | +86 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 199 places |
| 2020 | #2,657 | 13,235 | 4.43 | -1,022 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 118 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 Stump 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 | #2,539 | #2,657 | -4.6% |
| Count | 14,257 | 13,235 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 4.83 | 4.43 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stump bearers went from 14,257 to 13,235 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 118 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,539 to #2,657.
FAQ
Stump surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stump?
Name Census estimates that about 15,177 living Americans carry the surname Stump. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,584 residents.
How common is Stump?
Stump ranks #2,657 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.43 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 13,235 people with the surname Stump. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,177), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.43 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 Stump.
Has Stump become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stump went from 14,257 recorded bearers to 13,235. That is a decrease of 1,022 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,539 to #2,657.
What does the Census say about the background of Stump?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stump, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Stump in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (12,001 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stump appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Stump (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 Stump mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a tree stump or in a cleared area. 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 Stump (4.43 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 Stump?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Stump on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.