Find out how popular the last name Shaler is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Shaler.

Shaler, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Shaler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shaler in America

Shaler is the 58604th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shaler surname appeared 346 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Shaler.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shaler to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Shaler

The surname Shaler is believed to have originated in Scotland during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "scalu," which means "husk" or "shell." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked with husks or shells, such as a miller or a farmer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shaler can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1338, where a person named William Schaler is mentioned. This indicates that the name was in use during the 14th century in Scotland.

In the 15th century, the name Shaler appeared in various Scottish records, including the Ragman Rolls, which were a series of homage rolls from the late 13th and early 14th centuries. This suggests that the Shaler family may have been landowners or held some form of status during that time.

During the 16th century, the spelling of the name evolved, and variations such as Schaler, Schalere, and Shaillar were recorded in various documents, including the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland.

One notable individual with the surname Shaler was Nathaniel Southgate Shaler (1841-1906), an American paleontologist, geologist, and educator. He served as a professor at Harvard University and was one of the founders of the geology department there.

Another prominent figure with the Shaler surname was William Shaler (1778-1833), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

In the late 18th century, the name Shaler was associated with the town of Shaler, located in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. This town was named after Robert Shaler, who was one of the early settlers in the area.

The Shaler family can also be traced back to the Scottish Borders region, where several place names, such as Shalterburn and Shalterhaugh, are believed to have derived from the surname Shaler.

Other notable individuals with the surname Shaler include James Shaler, an American politician who served as the 22nd Governor of Minnesota from 1939 to 1943, and Robert Shaler, a Scottish-born painter and engraver who was active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shaler

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Shaler.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Shaler was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Shaler has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Shaler was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Shaler, please contact us.

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