2000
#3,925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,313
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.08
Rare Last name
Shifflett
An English occupational surname referring to a woodworker who made shingles or wooden tiles for roofs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,240 Americans carry the last name Shifflett. That puts it at #4,257 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,095 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shifflett 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
9.2K
1 in 37,095
Census rank
#4,257
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,058 bearers of the surname Shifflett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4257th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shifflett, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shifflett
The surname Shifflett is believed to have originated in Germany, with its roots dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "Schiffler," which means "boatman" or "sailor." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near bodies of water and worked in maritime-related professions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shifflett can be found in the historical records of the city of Worms, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. A document from 1589 mentions a man named Hans Schiffler, who was a member of the local boatmen's guild.
As the name spread across Europe, various spelling variations emerged, including Schifflett, Schifflet, and Shifflet. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the phonetic interpretations of scribes and record keepers.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, many German immigrants from the Palatinate region of Germany began settling in the American colonies, particularly in Pennsylvania and Virginia. Among these early settlers were individuals bearing the name Shifflett, who brought their surname and heritage to the new world.
One notable figure in the early history of the Shifflett name was Johann Jacob Schifflet, who was born in Germany in 1722. He immigrated to Pennsylvania in the mid-18th century and is considered one of the earliest recorded ancestors of the Shifflett family in America.
Another significant individual was Peter Shifflett, who was born in Virginia in 1760. He served in the American Revolutionary War and is believed to be the progenitor of many Shifflett families that later settled in the Appalachian regions of Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky.
In the 19th century, the name Shifflett gained prominence in the southern United States, particularly in Virginia. One notable figure from this period was William H. Shifflett, a Virginia politician who served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1875 to 1877.
Another individual of note was John Shifflett, who was born in Virginia in 1837. He fought in the American Civil War as a member of the Confederate Army and was captured at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.
As the Shifflett family continued to grow and disperse across the United States, the name appeared in various historical records and documents throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, further solidifying its place in American genealogy and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shifflett
Among Census respondents with the surname Shifflett, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Shifflett 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 Shifflett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 7,536
- Two or more races3.2% · 259
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 141
- Black or African American0.7% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shifflett
Shifflett 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
#4,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,544
+231 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 2.90
Rank movement Down 222 places
2020
#4,257
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,058
-486 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 2.70
Rank movement Down 110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,925 | 8,313 | 3.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,147 | 8,544 | 2.90 | +231 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 222 places |
| 2020 | #4,257 | 8,058 | 2.70 | -486 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 110 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 Shifflett 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 | #4,147 | #4,257 | -2.7% |
| Count | 8,544 | 8,058 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.90 | 2.70 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shifflett bearers went from 8,544 to 8,058 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 110 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,147 to #4,257.
FAQ
Shifflett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shifflett?
Name Census estimates that about 9,240 living Americans carry the surname Shifflett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,095 residents.
How common is Shifflett?
Shifflett ranks #4,257 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,058 people with the surname Shifflett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,240), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Shifflett.
Has Shifflett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shifflett went from 8,544 recorded bearers to 8,058. That is a decrease of 486 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,147 to #4,257.
What does the Census say about the background of Shifflett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shifflett, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Shifflett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (7,536 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shifflett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Shifflett (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 Shifflett mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a woodworker who made shingles or wooden tiles for roofs. 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 Shifflett (2.70 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 last name Shifflett?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Shifflett at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.