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

Shelnutt, 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 Shelnutt surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shelnutt in America

Shelnutt is the 19513th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shelnutt surname appeared 1,384 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 Shelnutt.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shelnutt 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 Shelnutt

The surname Shelnutt originates from England, specifically from the counties of Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, where it first emerged in the 13th century. The name is believed to be a locational surname derived from the Old English words "scyl" meaning "shelter" and "hnutu" meaning "nut tree," referring to a place where nut trees provided shelter or a sheltered area with nut trees.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Oxfordshire Hundred Rolls of 1279, where it appears as "Shellenhutte." This document was a survey of land ownership and taxation records, indicating that the Shelnutt family had established themselves in the region by that time.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various manorial records and tax rolls, often spelled as "Shelnott," "Shelnuyt," or "Shelnute," reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling during that era.

One notable early bearer of the surname was John Shelnutt, who was mentioned in the Warwickshire Feet of Fines in 1412. This legal document recorded land transactions and provided evidence of the family's presence in the area.

The Shelnutt surname can also be traced back to the village of Shelnutton (now known as Shellington) in Bedfordshire, which derives its name from the Old English words "scyl" and "tun," meaning "shelter settlement." This connection suggests that some Shelnutt families may have originated from or been associated with this location.

In the 16th century, the Shelnutt surname appeared in the records of the Parish of Swinbrook, Oxfordshire, where Thomas Shelnutt was recorded as a landowner in 1563.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Shelnutt surname, including:

1. William Shelnutt (1590-1658), an English farmer and landowner from Oxfordshire.
2. Sarah Shelnutt (1715-1782), a British Quaker writer and activist from Warwickshire.
3. Jonathan Shelnutt (1765-1832), an English inventor and clockmaker from Bedfordshire.
4. Henry Shelnutt (1810-1887), an American farmer and politician who served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives.
5. Eliza Shelnutt (1845-1923), an American educator and women's rights advocate from Georgia.

While the Shelnutt surname has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the counties of Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, and Bedfordshire in England, reflecting the historical significance of this locational surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shelnutt

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

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 Shelnutt 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 Shelnutt 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 Shelnutt was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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