2000
#14,325
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,918
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Shinkle
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of shingles, which are small, thin pieces of building material.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,150 Americans carry the last name Shinkle. That puts it at #15,103 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 159,421 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shinkle 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
2.1K
1 in 159,421
Census rank
#15,103
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,875 bearers of the surname Shinkle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15103rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shinkle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shinkle
The surname Shinkle is of Germanic origin, believed to have emerged in the regions of modern-day Germany and Switzerland during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old High German word "schinke," which referred to a ham or a leg of cured meat, potentially suggesting an early association with a butcher or meat trader.
Historically, the name Shinkle can be traced back to the 13th century, with records indicating its presence in various parts of central Europe. One of the earliest known references dates back to 1295, where a certain Hermann Schinckel was mentioned in a document from the city of Nuremberg.
Throughout the centuries, the surname underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Schinckel, Schinkele, and Schinkel, reflecting regional linguistic differences. Notably, the renowned Prussian architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781-1841) belonged to this lineage, leaving an indelible mark on the architectural landscape of Berlin and beyond.
Another prominent figure bearing the surname Shinkle was Johann Christoph Shinckel (1673-1737), a German composer and organist who made significant contributions to the development of church music during the Baroque period.
In the 16th century, records show the presence of a family named Schinckel in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a well-preserved medieval town in Bavaria. This branch of the Shinkle family is believed to have played a role in the local trade and commerce of the region.
As the name spread across Europe, it found its way into various communities and settlements. In the 17th century, a notable individual named Hans Schinckel (1615-1687) was documented as a successful merchant and landowner in the town of Heidelberg, Germany.
Another early instance of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. A landowner named Roderic Schinckel was listed as holding property in the county of Norfolk, England, indicating the name's eventual migration to the British Isles.
While the Shinkle surname has its roots in continental Europe, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including North America, through waves of immigration over the centuries. However, its origins and early historical footprints remain firmly grounded in the Germanic regions of central Europe, where it evolved from a descriptor of an occupation or trade.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shinkle
Among Census respondents with the surname Shinkle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Shinkle 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 Shinkle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 1,725
- Two or more races3.5% · 66
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 15
- Black or African American0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shinkle
Shinkle 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
#13,893
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,173
+255 bearers (+13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 432 places
2020
#15,103
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,875
-298 bearers (-13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 1,210 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,325 | 1,918 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,893 | 2,173 | 0.74 | +255 bearers (+13.3%) | Up 432 places |
| 2020 | #15,103 | 1,875 | 0.63 | -298 bearers (-13.7%) | Down 1,210 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 Shinkle 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 | #13,893 | #15,103 | -8.7% |
| Count | 2,173 | 1,875 | -13.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.63 | -15.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shinkle bearers went from 2,173 to 1,875 (-13.7% change). The surname moved down 1,210 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,893 to #15,103.
FAQ
Shinkle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shinkle?
Name Census estimates that about 2,150 living Americans carry the surname Shinkle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 159,421 residents.
How common is Shinkle?
Shinkle ranks #15,103 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,875 people with the surname Shinkle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,150), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Shinkle.
Has Shinkle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shinkle went from 2,173 recorded bearers to 1,875. That is a decrease of 298 (-13.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,893 to #15,103.
What does the Census say about the background of Shinkle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shinkle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Shinkle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (1,725 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shinkle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Shinkle (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 Shinkle mean?
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of shingles, which are small, thin pieces of building material. 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 Shinkle (0.63 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 share the surname Shinkle?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.