2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shineman
A variant spelling of the German surname Scheinemann, possibly an occupational name referring to someone responsible for lighting.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Shineman. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shineman 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Shineman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shineman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shineman
The surname Shineman has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the late medieval period. The name is believed to be derived from the Old German word "schinen," which means "to shine" or "to gleam." It is possible that the name was originally an occupational surname, referring to someone who worked as a polisher or shiner of metals or other materials.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shineman can be found in the Palatinate region of Germany in the 15th century. In a document dated 1467, a certain "Hans Shineman" is mentioned as a resident of the town of Heidelberg. This suggests that the name was already well-established in that area by the mid-15th century.
By the 16th century, the Shineman name had spread to other parts of Germany, as well as neighboring regions such as the Netherlands and Switzerland. In a Dutch census record from 1562, a "Jan Shineman" is listed as a resident of the city of Amsterdam. This provides evidence that the name had already begun to migrate beyond its original German homeland.
The Shineman surname can also be found in various historical records from the 17th and 18th centuries. For example, a "Johann Shineman" is mentioned in a church register from the town of Kassel, Germany, dated 1673. Additionally, a "Friedrich Shineman" is listed as a landowner in the Palatinate region in a land registry from 1724.
One notable figure who bore the Shineman surname was Johann Christoph Shineman (1720-1789), a German composer and musician who was active in the latter half of the 18th century. He is best known for his contributions to the development of the classical style in instrumental music during the late Baroque period.
Another individual of historical significance was Wilhelm Shineman (1842-1912), a German-born American entrepreneur and industrialist. He founded the Shineman Brewing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which became one of the largest breweries in the Midwest during the late 19th century.
In more recent times, a notable bearer of the Shineman name was Alfred Shineman (1892-1967), a German-American author and journalist who wrote extensively about the experiences of German immigrants in the United States during the early 20th century.
Overall, the Shineman surname has a rich history that spans several centuries and multiple countries, with its roots firmly planted in the German-speaking regions of Central Europe. While its exact origins remain somewhat uncertain, the name has become closely associated with the German cultural tradition and has left an indelible mark on the genealogical records of both Europe and North America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shineman
Among Census respondents with the surname Shineman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Shineman 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 Shineman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shineman
Shineman 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
+15 bearers (+13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,319 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-14 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,418 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+13.0%) | Up 4,319 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 14,418 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 Shineman 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 | #130,610 | #145,028 | -11.0% |
| Count | 130 | 116 | -10.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shineman bearers went from 130 to 116 (-10.8% change). The surname moved down 14,418 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #145,028.
FAQ
Shineman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shineman?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Shineman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Shineman?
Shineman ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Shineman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Shineman.
Has Shineman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shineman went from 130 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 14 (-10.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Shineman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shineman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Shineman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shineman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Shineman (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 Shineman mean?
A variant spelling of the German surname Scheinemann, possibly an occupational name referring to someone responsible for lighting. 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 Shineman (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 many people are called Shineman?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Shineman at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.