2000
#101,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 165
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Shibler
A Germanic surname derived from a metonymic occupational name for someone who made or sold wooden slats or shingles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Shibler. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shibler 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Shibler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shibler, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shibler
The surname Shibler is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, possibly in the areas that are now part of modern-day Germany or Switzerland. It is thought to have emerged sometime during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
One theory suggests that the name Shibler is derived from the German word "Schiebel," which means a small shovel or scoop. This could indicate that the original bearers of this surname were involved in occupations related to digging, excavation, or mining. Alternatively, the name may have been derived from a place name or a topographic feature, as was common during that era.
The earliest recorded instances of the Shibler surname can be traced back to various historical documents and records from the 15th and 16th centuries. For example, in 1452, a man named Hans Shibler is mentioned in the town records of Nuremberg, a prominent city in medieval Germany. Another notable individual was Johann Shibler, a scholar and theologian who lived in the late 16th century and authored several religious texts.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname Shibler. One such person was Karl Shibler (1798-1867), a German painter and engraver who was known for his landscape and genre paintings. Another was Wilhelm Shibler (1832-1901), a German architect and urban planner who contributed to the design of several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities.
In the field of literature, one cannot overlook the contributions of Johann Gottlieb Shibler (1759-1832), a German writer and philosopher who wrote extensively on topics such as aesthetics and metaphysics. His works, including "System der transcendentalen Philosophie" (1800), were influential in shaping the intellectual discourse of his time.
Moving to the 20th century, we find Gerhard Shibler (1907-1992), a German-American physicist who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics. He worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II and later became a professor at the University of Chicago.
The Shibler surname has also been found in other parts of Europe, including Switzerland and Austria, where it may have taken on slightly different spellings or variations over time. However, its origins and connections to the German-speaking regions remain the most widely accepted theory among historians and genealogists.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shibler
Among Census respondents with the surname Shibler, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Shibler 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 Shibler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 6
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shibler
Shibler 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
-40 bearers (-24.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 33,555 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-4 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,597 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #101,157 | 165 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | -40 bearers (-24.2%) | Down 33,555 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 6,597 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 Shibler 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 | #134,712 | #141,309 | -4.9% |
| Count | 125 | 121 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shibler bearers went from 125 to 121 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 6,597 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #141,309.
FAQ
Shibler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shibler?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Shibler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Shibler?
Shibler ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Shibler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Shibler.
Has Shibler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shibler went from 125 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Shibler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shibler, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Shibler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shibler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (5.0%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Shibler (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 Shibler mean?
A Germanic surname derived from a metonymic occupational name for someone who made or sold wooden slats or shingles. 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 Shibler (0.04 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 Shibler?
See how many Americans have the surname Shibler on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.