2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Shal
A surname derived from a Yiddish term meaning "calmness" or "tranquility".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Shal. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shal surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Shal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shal, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.0%) and Black (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shal
The surname SHAL is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is likely derived from the Old English word "scealu," which means "shallow" or "shelf," referring to a shallow area or a ledge of land. This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a topographic name, identifying individuals who lived near a shallow body of water or on a ledge of land.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname SHAL can be traced back to the early 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was William Shal, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines records for Essex in 1242. These records were legal documents that recorded land transactions and property disputes in medieval England.
In the 14th century, the surname SHAL appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a John Shal was listed as a taxpayer. These rolls were tax records that documented individuals who were required to pay a specific tax or subsidy to the Crown.
Another notable early bearer of the surname SHAL was Robert Shal, who was recorded in the Inquisitiones ad Quod Damnum (Inquisitions of Service) for Gloucestershire in 1361. These inquisitions were legal inquiries conducted to determine the extent of land holdings and assess their value for inheritance purposes.
During the 15th century, the surname SHAL was found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, which were financial records of the Exchequer that documented payments made to the Crown. In 1438, a Thomas Shal was listed as a taxpayer in these rolls.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname SHAL with a place name association was William Shal of Shaile, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines records for Staffordshire in 1488. Shaile is a hamlet located in Staffordshire, and it is possible that William Shal derived his surname from this place name.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname SHAL. These include:
1. Andrew Shal (c. 1520 - 1590), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
2. John Shal (c. 1570 - 1630), an English writer and poet who is best known for his work "The Discription of the Burning of the World."
3. Elizabeth Shal (c. 1600 - 1670), an English Puritan author and religious writer, known for her devotional works.
4. Thomas Shal (c. 1640 - 1710), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Wigan in the late 17th century.
5. William Shal (c. 1770 - 1840), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and rose to the rank of Admiral.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shal
Among Census respondents with the surname Shal, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.0%) and Black (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Shal bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Shal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.0% · 92
- Asian and Pacific Islander13.0% · 15
- Black or African American4.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shal
Shal appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+15 bearers (+15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 15,218 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+15.0%) | Up 15,218 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Shal surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #160,975 | #145,757 | 9.5% |
| Count | 100 | 115 | 15.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 28.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shal bearers went from 100 to 115 (+15.0% change). The surname moved up 15,218 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #145,757.
FAQ
Shal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shal?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Shal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Shal?
Shal ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Shal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Shal.
Has Shal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shal went from 100 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 15 (+15.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Shal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shal, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.0%) and Black (4.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Shal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (13.0%), Black (4.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Shal (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Shal mean?
A surname derived from a Yiddish term meaning "calmness" or "tranquility". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Shal (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Shal?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.