2000
#8,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,545
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.31
Rare Last name
Shetler
A habitational surname referring to someone who lived in a shepherd's hut or shed.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,212 Americans carry the last name Shetler. That puts it at #6,086 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,176 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shetler 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
6.2K
1 in 55,176
Census rank
#6,086
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,417 bearers of the surname Shetler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6086th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shetler, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.2%) and Hispanic (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shetler
The surname Shetler is of German origin, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the German word "Schettler," which was an occupational surname referring to a person who made wooden containers or vessels, such as barrels or buckets.
In its earliest form, the name was spelled "Schettler" or "Schetteler," and it was predominantly found in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Over time, as families migrated to different regions, the spelling of the name evolved to its current form, "Shetler."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the church records of the town of Pforzheim, Baden-Württemberg, where a certain Hans Schettler was mentioned in the year 1568. Another notable historical reference is the appearance of the name in the records of the village of Oberkirch, also in Baden-Württemberg, in the late 16th century.
Among the notable individuals who have carried the Shetler surname throughout history are Johann Shetler (1678-1742), a prominent German woodcarver and sculptor who was renowned for his intricate works in churches and monasteries across southern Germany. Another notable figure is Wilhelm Shetler (1803-1875), a German-American immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania and became a successful farmer and landowner.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Shetler name can be found in the records of the Pennsylvania Dutch community, where Jacob Shetler (1725-1798) was a prominent figure in the early settlement of Lancaster County. His descendants went on to establish themselves in various professions, including agriculture, business, and politics.
Another notable American with the Shetler surname was Samuel Shetler (1845-1920), a Union Army veteran of the American Civil War, who later became a respected lawyer and judge in Ohio. His contemporaries included Mary Shetler (1855-1932), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights, who founded several schools in Pennsylvania.
Throughout its history, the Shetler surname has maintained a strong connection to its German roots, with many families tracing their lineage back to the original regions of southern Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shetler
Among Census respondents with the surname Shetler, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.2%) and Hispanic (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Shetler 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 Shetler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.0% · 5,255
- Two or more races1.2% · 67
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 22
- Black or African American0.1% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shetler
Shetler 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
#6,881
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,886
+1,341 bearers (+37.8%)
Per 100,000 1.66
Rank movement Up 1,676 places
2020
#6,086
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,417
+531 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 1.81
Rank movement Up 795 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,557 | 3,545 | 1.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,881 | 4,886 | 1.66 | +1,341 bearers (+37.8%) | Up 1,676 places |
| 2020 | #6,086 | 5,417 | 1.81 | +531 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 795 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 Shetler 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 | #6,881 | #6,086 | 11.6% |
| Count | 4,886 | 5,417 | 10.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.66 | 1.81 | 9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shetler bearers went from 4,886 to 5,417 (+10.9% change). The surname moved up 795 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,881 to #6,086.
FAQ
Shetler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shetler?
Name Census estimates that about 6,212 living Americans carry the surname Shetler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,176 residents.
How common is Shetler?
Shetler ranks #6,086 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.81 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 5,417 people with the surname Shetler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,212), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.81 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 Shetler.
Has Shetler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shetler went from 4,886 recorded bearers to 5,417. That is an increase of 531 (+10.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,881 to #6,086.
What does the Census say about the background of Shetler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shetler, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.2%) and Hispanic (1.1%). 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 Shetler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.0% (5,255 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shetler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.0%), Two or More Races (1.2%), Hispanic (1.1%). 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 Shetler (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 Shetler mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone who lived in a shepherd's hut or shed. 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 Shetler (1.81 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 common is the surname Shetler?
Want to know how many people have the last name Shetler? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.