Explore the Family Name Stelter

The meaning of Stelter

North German: nickname for a disabled person, from Middle Low German stelte, stilt ‘wooden leg’. Some characteristic forenames: German Kurt, Otto, Erhardt, Ewald, Gerhardt, Lothar, Manfred.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Stelter in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Stelter has seen a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 13,503 in terms of popularity, but by 2010 it had fallen to 15,278, marking a drop of approximately 13.15%. The number of individuals bearing the name also fell from 2,065 to 1,922, showing a decrease of nearly 7%. This resulted in a reduction in the proportion per 100,000 people from 0.77 to 0.65.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#13,503	#15,278	-13.15%
Count	2,065	1,922	-6.92%
Proportion per 100k	0.77	0.65	-15.58%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Stelter

The data from the Decennial U.S. Census also indicates a shift in the ethnic identity associated with the surname Stelter. In 2000, the majority of bearers identified as White (97%), which slightly decreased to 96.46% in 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Hispanic rose from 1.02% to 1.56%, while the representation of Two or more races saw a small increase from 1.16% to 1.25%. There was no representation from the Asian/Pacific Islander community in 2000, however, this changed to 0.36% in 2010. On the other hand, the Black community representation, though minimal at 0.63% in 2000, became non-existent by 2010. The American Indian and Alaskan Native groups were not represented in either year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	97%	96.46%	-0.56%
Hispanic	1.02%	1.56%	52.94%
Two or More Races	1.16%	1.25%	7.76%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0.36%	0%
Black	0.63%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%