The minimum weight design for simply-supported isotropic or symmetrically laminated stiffened cylindrical shells subjected to various loads (axial compression or combined loads) is studied by a nonlinear mathematical search algorithm. The minimum weight design in accomplished with the CONMIN optimizer by Vanderplaats. Several types of buckling modes with maximum allowable stresses and strains are included as constraints in the minimum weight design process, such as general buckling, panel buckling with either stingers or rings smeared out, local skin buckling, local crippling of stiffener segments, and general, panel and local skin buckling including stiffener rolling. The approach allows the consideration of various shapes of stiffening members. Rectangular, I, or T type stringers and rectangular rings are used for stiffened cylindrical shells. Several design examples are analyzed and compared with those in the previous literatures. The unstiffened glass/epoxy, graphite/epoxy(T300/5208), and graphite/epoxy aluminum honeycomb cylindrical shells and stiffened graphite/epoxy cyindrical shells under axial compression are analyzed through the present approach.