2000
#49,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 397
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.15
Very Rare Last name
Shankel
A German surname derived from the Middle High German word "schenkel" meaning "shank" or "leg".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 446 Americans carry the last name Shankel. That puts it at #56,668 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 768,507 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shankel 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
446
1 in 768,507
Census rank
#56,668
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
389
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 389 bearers of the surname Shankel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 56668th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shankel, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shankel
The surname Shankel is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe during the medieval period. It likely derived from the Old German word "schanke," which referred to a tavern or inn keeper. This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have been individuals involved in operating taverns or inns.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Anhalt region of Germany, dating back to the 13th century. In this document, a certain "Conradus Schanckel" is mentioned as a witness to a legal transaction in the year 1278.
Another notable historical reference is found in the Liber Memorialis, a manuscript from the Benedictine abbey of St. Peter in Erfurt, Germany. This manuscript, dating back to the early 15th century, includes an entry for a "Johannes Schankel" who was a member of the abbey's community.
In the 16th century, a prominent individual bearing the name Shankel was Hans Shankel, a wealthy merchant and landowner from the city of Nuremberg, who lived from 1510 to 1578. Records indicate that he played a significant role in the city's trade guilds and was involved in various civic affairs.
Moving forward to the 17th century, there is a record of a Johannes Shankel (1635-1712) who was a respected scholar and theologian from the city of Heidelberg. He authored several works on theology and philosophy during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, a notable figure with the surname Shankel was Carl Shankel (1821-1892), a German-born artist and illustrator who gained recognition for his detailed sketches and watercolor paintings depicting scenes from everyday life in Germany and other European countries.
While the surname Shankel may have originated in Germany, over the centuries it has spread to other regions, likely due to migration and various historical events. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval German-speaking territories and the occupations associated with tavern or inn keeping.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shankel
Among Census respondents with the surname Shankel, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Shankel 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 Shankel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 367
- Two or more races2.8% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 10
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shankel
Shankel 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
#50,564
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 413
+16 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 893 places
2020
#56,668
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 389
-24 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 6,104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #49,671 | 397 | 0.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #50,564 | 413 | 0.14 | +16 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 893 places |
| 2020 | #56,668 | 389 | 0.13 | -24 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 6,104 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 Shankel 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 | #50,564 | #56,668 | -12.1% |
| Count | 413 | 389 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.13 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shankel bearers went from 413 to 389 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 6,104 positions in the national ranking, going from #50,564 to #56,668.
FAQ
Shankel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shankel?
Name Census estimates that about 446 living Americans carry the surname Shankel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 768,507 residents.
How common is Shankel?
Shankel ranks #56,668 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 389 people with the surname Shankel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (446), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Shankel.
Has Shankel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shankel went from 413 recorded bearers to 389. That is a decrease of 24 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #50,564 to #56,668.
What does the Census say about the background of Shankel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shankel, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) 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 Shankel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (367 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shankel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Two or More Races (2.8%), 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 Shankel (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 Shankel mean?
A German surname derived from the Middle High German word "schenkel" meaning "shank" or "leg". 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 Shankel (0.13 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 surname Shankel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.