2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shifferly
An English habitational surname derived from a place name in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Shifferly. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shifferly 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Shifferly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shifferly, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shifferly
The surname Shifferly has its origins in Germany, dating back to the late 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Germanic word "schiffeln," which means "to move in a swaying or wavering motion." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who walked or moved in a similar manner.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shifferly can be found in the town records of Augsburg, Germany, from the year 1492. In these records, a man named Hans Schifferle is listed as a resident of the town. It is possible that this spelling variation, "Schifferle," is an earlier form of the modern surname Shifferly.
In the 16th century, the name began to appear in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and the Rhineland. During this time, surnames were becoming more widespread and were often derived from occupations, physical characteristics, or places of origin.
A notable individual bearing the Shifferly surname was Johann Schifferle, a German Protestant theologian born in 1592 in Strasbourg. He studied at the University of Heidelberg and later became a prominent figure in the Lutheran Church.
Another early record of the name can be found in the town archives of Mainz, Germany, where a family by the name of Schifferlin is mentioned in a document dated 1624. This spelling variation, "Schifferlin," further illustrates the evolution of the surname over time.
In the late 17th century, a man named Jakob Schifferly (1663-1732) was a respected clockmaker and watchmaker in the town of Ulm, Germany. His craftsmanship and contributions to the field of horology earned him recognition during his lifetime.
As the years passed, the Shifferly name spread to other parts of Europe, particularly in areas with German-speaking populations. In the 19th century, a notable figure named Wilhelm Schifferly (1818-1901) was a Swiss painter and illustrator, renowned for his landscapes and depictions of Alpine scenery.
Another individual of note was Luise Schifferly (1875-1947), a German author and playwright who wrote several novels and plays that gained popularity in the early 20th century. Her works often explored themes of family dynamics and societal issues.
These examples demonstrate the rich history and diversity of individuals who have carried the Shifferly surname throughout the centuries, originating from its Germanic roots and evolving across various regions and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shifferly
Among Census respondents with the surname Shifferly, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Shifferly 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 Shifferly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 92
- Black or African American4.0% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shifferly
Shifferly 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+4 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,579 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-5 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 775 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 5,579 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 775 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 Shifferly 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 | #154,907 | #155,682 | -0.5% |
| Count | 105 | 100 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shifferly bearers went from 105 to 100 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 775 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #155,682.
FAQ
Shifferly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shifferly?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Shifferly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Shifferly?
Shifferly ranks #155,682 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 100 people with the surname Shifferly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), 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 Shifferly.
Has Shifferly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shifferly went from 105 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #154,907 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Shifferly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shifferly, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Shifferly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shifferly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Black (4.0%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Shifferly (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 Shifferly mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place name in England. 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 Shifferly (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 have the surname Shifferly?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.