2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shoffit
A surname derived from a Middle English term for an officer or official.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Shoffit. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shoffit 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Shoffit in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shoffit, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shoffit
The surname SHOFFIT is believed to have originated in the region of Normandy, France during the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "chauffe," meaning "to warm" or "to heat," likely referring to an occupation or a characteristic associated with an ancestor who worked with fire or resided near a source of warmth.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 12th century, where it appears in various forms, such as "Chauffit," "Chaufett," and "Chauffet." These variations in spelling were common during that time due to the inconsistencies in recordkeeping and the lack of standardized orthography.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jean Chauffit, a Norman nobleman who accompanied William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. His name is mentioned in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William I in 1086.
In the 13th century, the name SHOFFIT was associated with a prominent family from the village of Chauffort, located in the Normandy region. Guillaume de Chauffort, born in 1215, was a prominent knight who served under King Louis IX during the Seventh Crusade.
During the 14th century, the name SHOFFIT began to spread across various regions of France and eventually found its way to other parts of Europe. One notable figure from this period was Jeanne Chauffit, a French noblewoman who was known for her philanthropic efforts in supporting local orphanages and hospitals.
In the 16th century, the name SHOFFIT gained recognition through the work of Jacques Chauffit, a renowned French architect who contributed to the design and construction of several notable landmarks, including the Château de Chambord in the Loire Valley.
Another influential figure bearing the surname SHOFFIT was Pierre Chauffit, a French philosopher and writer who lived during the 17th century. His works explored themes of morality, ethics, and the human condition, earning him recognition among intellectuals of the Enlightenment era.
As the SHOFFIT name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, including "Shoffitt," "Shoffet," and "Shoffett," reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of different regions. Despite these variations, the name maintained its connection to its French origins and the occupational or descriptive meaning associated with warmth and fire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shoffit
Among Census respondents with the surname Shoffit, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Shoffit 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 Shoffit surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 95
- Two or more races5.7% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shoffit
Shoffit 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-5 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,615 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,887 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 14,615 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 1,887 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 Shoffit 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 | #150,452 | #152,339 | -1.3% |
| Count | 109 | 106 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shoffit bearers went from 109 to 106 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 1,887 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #152,339.
FAQ
Shoffit surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shoffit?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Shoffit. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Shoffit?
Shoffit ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Shoffit. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Shoffit.
Has Shoffit become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shoffit went from 109 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Shoffit?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shoffit, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Shoffit in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shoffit appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Two or More Races (5.7%), Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Shoffit (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 Shoffit mean?
A surname derived from a Middle English term for an officer or official. 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 Shoffit (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 Shoffit?
Find out how many people are called Shoffit on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.