2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shelite
A possible surname variation referring to someone living near a slate quarry or hillside.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Shelite. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shelite 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Shelite in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shelite, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shelite
The surname SHELITE is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English word "scylf," which means "shelf" or "ledge," possibly referring to someone who lived near a prominent rocky outcropping or cliff.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Scylfe." This entry suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066 and may have been adopted by Norman settlers.
During the 13th century, the name began to appear in various forms, such as "Schylyte" and "Shylite," likely due to regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. By the 14th century, the spelling had evolved closer to its modern form, with records showing "Shelite" and "Shelyte."
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name was John Shelite (1520-1588), a merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire. His descendants can be traced through parish records in the region.
Another prominent individual was Sir William Shelite (1625-1702), a member of Parliament and military officer who served during the English Civil War. He was knighted in 1660 for his loyalty to the Crown.
In the 18th century, the name appears in connection with the village of Shelite, located in Dorset. It is possible that some variants of the surname may have derived from this place name.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name in North America was Robert Shelite (1732-1812), who emigrated from England to Virginia in the 1750s. He later fought in the American Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, a notable figure was James Shelite (1820-1895), a British explorer and naturalist who documented flora and fauna in the South Pacific and Australia.
Another individual of note was Sarah Shelite (1842-1922), an educator and activist who advocated for women's rights and the abolition of slavery in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shelite
Among Census respondents with the surname Shelite, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Shelite 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 Shelite surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 101
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shelite
Shelite 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+12 bearers (+11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,862 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-15 bearers (-12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 12,121 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.5%) | Up 2,862 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -15 bearers (-12.9%) | Down 12,121 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 Shelite 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 | #143,149 | #155,270 | -8.5% |
| Count | 116 | 101 | -12.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shelite bearers went from 116 to 101 (-12.9% change). The surname moved down 12,121 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #155,270.
FAQ
Shelite surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shelite?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Shelite. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Shelite?
Shelite ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Shelite. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Shelite.
Has Shelite become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shelite went from 116 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 15 (-12.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Shelite?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shelite, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Shelite in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shelite appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Shelite (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 Shelite mean?
A possible surname variation referring to someone living near a slate quarry or hillside. 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 Shelite (0.03 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 Shelite?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.