Explore the Family Name Stiff

The meaning of Stiff

English (Suffolk): nickname from Middle English stif ‘rigid, inflexible; resolute, steadfast’ (Old English stif), used either for someone who had difficulty in bending, or for someone who was resolute or steadfast.

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

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

According to the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Stiff" has seen a slight increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 11,943rd in prevalence but had moved up to 11,767th by 2010, marking a 1.47% rise in rank. The number of individuals carrying this surname also grew during this period, increasing by approximately 10.92% from 2,400 in 2000 to 2,662 in 2010. The proportion of people named Stiff for every 100,000 in the population saw a minor rise of 1.12%, suggesting the name is gaining traction.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#11,943	#11,767	1.47%
Count	2,400	2,662	10.92%
Proportion per 100k	0.89	0.9	1.12%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Stiff

Shifting focus to the ethnic identity associated with the surname "Stiff", the Decennial U.S. Census data highlights several changes. A notable growth was observed in individuals identifying as belonging to two or more races, which skyrocketed by 138.10% from 2000 to 2010. There was also an uptick in those identifying as Hispanic, with a 24.02% increase. Meanwhile, representation among Blacks grew modestly at 1.77%. On the other hand, the percentage of Whites and American Indians and Alaskan Natives using the Stiff surname decreased by 2.08% and 29.63% respectively. The Asian/Pacific Islander category showed a minor dip of 2.38%.

	2000	2010	Change
White	74%	72.46%	-2.08%
Black	22.63%	23.03%	1.77%
Hispanic	1.79%	2.22%	24.02%
Two or More Races	0.63%	1.5%	138.1%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.42%	0.41%	-2.38%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0.54%	0.38%	-29.63%