Stang
A surname that can come from a place-name meaning a pool or from a word for a pole or spear-staff.
The #9,286 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 88,087 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name has at least two plausible roots in the historical literature. One line of explanation connects it with Old French estang, from Latin stagnum, meaning a pond or pool of still water. Another connects it with Germanic stang/stange, meaning a pole, stake, or spear-staff. Because these are different traditions, the surname may be independent in different families.
History
English surname books often treat Stang as a locative or topographic name linked to a pool or marshy place, while German surname scholarship connects it with Stange and related forms meaning a pole or spear. The name is relatively uncommon in the United States and may reflect multiple immigrant lines rather than a single origin. Historical forms and nearby surname variants suggest both English and German usage.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lancashire place-names such as Garstang helped surname scholars illustrate how local place-forms could generate family names.
From the historical record
“STANK \(A.-Fr.-Lat.) Dweller by the Pool STANG J [Dial. E. : O.Fr. estang, Lat. stagnant, a pool of standing water] STANLEY (Eng.) Bel. to Stanley; or Dweller at the Stony or Rocky Lea [O.E. stdn, a stone, rock + ledh (M.E. ley), a lea] The M.S.E. forms of this common place-name were Stanleg(h, Stanley{e ; the”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)