Show ContentsStern History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Stern

What does the name Stern mean?

The name Stern is a proud symbol of ancient Ashkenazic Jewish culture. The Jewish name Stern is a habitational name derived from the name of the village of Sterniany in White Russia, but many Sternins have become Sterns. Stern was also a common English surname given originally to a person of a stern nature.

Stern Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Sterne, Stern, Sterns, Sternn, Sternin, Stearns and many more.

Stern Ranking

the United States, the name Stern is the 1,643rd most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 1


Stern migration to the United States +



Stern Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jacob Stern, who landed in New York in 1709 2
  • Philip Stern, who landed in New York in 1709 2
  • Jean Stern, who settled in Louisiana with two sons and a daughter in 1720
  • Jacob Stern, who arrived in Maryland in 1743 2
  • Frederick Stern, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1753
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Stern Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Benedix P Stern, who landed in North America in 1832-1849 2
  • Hirach Stern, who landed in North America in 1832-1849 2
  • Mr. Carl Gustav Stern, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Franziska"
  • Mrs. Helene Stern, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Franziska"
  • Mr. Carl Stern, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Franziska"
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Stern migration to Canada +

Stern Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. David Stern U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 3

Stern migration to Australia +

Stern Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Stern, English convict from Hertfordshire, who was transported aboard the "Ann" on August 1809, settling in New South Wales, Australia 4
  • H.E.F. Stern, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Steinwaerder" 5
  • Mr. Thomas Stern, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 27th August 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Stern (post 1700) +

  • Isaac Stern (1920-2001), Ukrainian-born American violinist and concert master and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
  • Sol Stern (1935-2025), American journalist and author of the book Breaking Free: Public School Lessons and the Imperative of School Choice (2003) and wrote extensively on education reform
  • Arthur Hamilton Stern (1926-2025), known as Arthur Hamilton, an American songwriter, best known for the song "Cry Me a River", first published in 1953 and recorded by Julie London
  • Charles Baker "Chuck" Stern (1979-2023), American composer, musician, writer, and visual artist known for his work in experimental music
  • Guy Stern (1922-2023), German-American decorated member of the secret Ritchie Boys World War II military intelligence interrogation team
  • Irving M. Stern (1928-2023), American politician, Member of the Minnesota Senate from 1979 to 1982, Mayor of St. Louis Park, Minnesota from 1977 to 1979
  • Gerald Daniel Stern (1925-2022), American poet, essayist, educator and author of twenty collections of poetry and four books of essays; he received the National Book Award for Poetry in 1998 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry in 1991
  • Fritz Richard Stern (1926-2016), German-born American historian of German history, Jewish history and historiography
  • Bertram "Bert" Stern (1929-2013), American fashion and celebrity portrait photographer, best known for his work The Last Sitting, a collection of 2,500 photographs taken of Marilyn Monroe
  • ... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


Suggested Readings for the name Stern +

  • Crossroads in Kansas: A Stearns-Ross Genealogy by Phyllis Ross Kostner.
  • Of Them that Left A Name Behind: A History of the Starnes Family's First 125 Years and Beyond America by H. Gerald Starnes.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  4. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Ann voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1809 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/ann/1809
  5. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) STEINWARDER 1849 aka STEINWAERDER. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Steinwarder.htm
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian


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