The article deals with the rise and the consequences of a notion of ‘stigma’ that refersto social relations. After some remarks on ‘incorporation by obliteration’ a sketch ofthe ‘prehistory’ of the sociological concept of ‘stigma’ is given, paying attention also toits medical significances. Then, central aspects of Goffman’s famous concept of‘stigma’ are outlined, and as well are the sources, on which he already could rely uponin his work. Afterwards, the rising importance of the notion ‘stigma’ within the socialsciences is dealt with in more length. By bibliometrical means − using, among others,the SSCI-database − the article displays an enormous growth of scholar interest in thenotion of ‘stigma’, particularly since the 1990es, although the extent of the use of itwithin the scientific community increased significantly immediately after Goffman’sstudy in ‘stigma’ was published in 1963. After this, specific attention is paid to thereception of the ‘stigma’-concept in the German speaking countries. In Austria, inparticular, no scholar works that would focus on this notion were published during the1970es and 1980es − in contrast to the situation afterwards, when ‘stigma’ as ananalytical tool began to play an increasing important role not at least in publicationssituated in the fields of social psychiatry, public health and disability studies.