Stambaugh
A surname of likely German origin, probably a habitational name built from a place-name ending in -bach, meaning “stream.”
The #5,958 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 53,462 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Stambaugh is most likely an Americanized German surname. The second element probably reflects German -bach, meaning “stream” or “brook,” a very common place-name component in German surnames. The first element is less certain and may come from a local place-name or dialect form that was altered in spelling after immigration. As with many German-American surnames, the modern form may have shifted considerably from the original spelling.
History
The surname is found chiefly in the United States, where it appears in communities descended from German-speaking immigrants. American records often show spellings changing over time as clerks rendered unfamiliar German names phonetically. Because the name is relatively uncommon, its precise original German source is hard to pin down from broad onomastic evidence alone.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Names ending in -bach are very common in German place-names and surnames, since many are ultimately tied to a stream or brook near the original home place.