2000
#6,393
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,906
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.82
Rare Last name
Shaner
An occupational surname for a woodworker or carpenter, derived from the German word "schreiner."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,345 Americans carry the last name Shaner. That puts it at #6,945 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,126 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shaner 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
5.3K
1 in 64,126
Census rank
#6,945
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,661 bearers of the surname Shaner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6945th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shaner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shaner
The surname Shaner has its origins in Germany, where it emerged during the Middle Ages, likely sometime between the 12th and 15th centuries. The name is believed to be derived from the Old German word "schön," meaning "beautiful" or "fair," suggesting that it may have originally been a descriptive nickname given to someone with a handsome or attractive appearance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Shaner can be found in the records of the city of Cologne, dating back to the 14th century. The name appears as "Schoner," which was a common spelling variation at the time. This particular entry refers to a merchant named Johannes Schoner, who was involved in the city's thriving trade industry.
In the 16th century, the Shaner surname can be traced to various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. During this period, the name underwent further variations in spelling, such as "Schaner" and "Schöner," reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic differences across German-speaking areas.
One notable individual bearing the Shaner surname was Johann Schöner, a renowned mathematician, cartographer, and astronomer born in Karlstadt, Bavaria, in 1477. He was instrumental in creating some of the earliest terrestrial and celestial globes, and his works significantly contributed to the advancement of cartography and astronomy during the Renaissance era.
Another prominent figure with the Shaner surname was Georg Schöner, a German composer and organist who lived from 1568 to 1635. He served as the court organist for the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg and is renowned for his contributions to the development of the early Baroque organ repertoire.
In the 18th century, the surname Shaner can be found in various records and documents from the Palatinate region of Germany. One notable example is Johann Michael Schaner, a vintner and landowner born in 1712 in the town of Neustadt an der Weinstraße, known for its thriving wine industry.
As German immigrants began to migrate to other parts of the world, such as North America and Australia, the Shaner surname spread to these regions. One early instance of the name in America is recorded in Pennsylvania in the late 18th century, where a family of German descent settled and established roots.
Throughout its history, the Shaner surname has been associated with various professions and social classes, from merchants and artisans to scholars and landowners. Despite its widespread distribution, the name has maintained its Germanic roots and continues to be a recognizable part of the cultural heritage of German-speaking communities around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shaner
Among Census respondents with the surname Shaner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Shaner 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 Shaner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 4,299
- Two or more races3.8% · 176
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 122
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
- Black or African American0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shaner
Shaner appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,612
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,121
+215 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Down 219 places
2020
#6,945
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,661
-460 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 333 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,393 | 4,906 | 1.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,612 | 5,121 | 1.74 | +215 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 219 places |
| 2020 | #6,945 | 4,661 | 1.56 | -460 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 333 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 Shaner 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 | #6,612 | #6,945 | -5.0% |
| Count | 5,121 | 4,661 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.74 | 1.56 | -10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shaner bearers went from 5,121 to 4,661 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 333 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,612 to #6,945.
FAQ
Shaner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shaner?
Name Census estimates that about 5,345 living Americans carry the surname Shaner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,126 residents.
How common is Shaner?
Shaner ranks #6,945 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,661 people with the surname Shaner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,345), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Shaner.
Has Shaner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shaner went from 5,121 recorded bearers to 4,661. That is a decrease of 460 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,612 to #6,945.
What does the Census say about the background of Shaner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shaner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Shaner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (4,299 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shaner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Shaner (2000, 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 Shaner mean?
An occupational surname for a woodworker or carpenter, derived from the German word "schreiner." 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 Shaner (1.56 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 have the last name Shaner?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Shaner on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.