2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shofstall
A variant of the German surname Schoffstall, locational for someone from a place name containing "schopf" meaning shed or barn.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Shofstall. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shofstall 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Shofstall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shofstall, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shofstall
The surname SHOFSTALL is of Germanic origin, with its roots traceable to the Middle Ages. The name is believed to have originated in the region of modern-day Germany, specifically in the area of Bavaria. One of the earliest known spellings of the name was "Schoffstall," which was a combination of the German words "schoff" (meaning "bailiff" or "steward") and "stall" (meaning "stable" or "barn").
In the 12th and 13th centuries, the SHOFSTALL surname began appearing in various local records and chronicles, particularly in the regions around the towns of Augsburg and Nuremberg. One of the earliest documented individuals bearing this name was Heinrich Schoffstall, a landowner and horse breeder who lived in the village of Eichstätt in the late 13th century.
By the 15th century, the SHOFSTALL name had spread to other parts of central Europe, including Austria and Switzerland. Notable bearers of the name during this period included Johannes Schoffstall, a renowned clockmaker from Salzburg who lived from 1432 to 1508, and Anna Schoffstall, a prominent figure in the Reformation movement in Zurich, who was born in 1471.
As the centuries progressed, the SHOFSTALL surname underwent various spelling variations, such as Schofstall, Schofstahl, and Shofstall. In the 17th and 18th centuries, some members of the SHOFSTALL family began migrating to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands, France, and England.
One notable figure from this era was Johann Schoffstall (1682-1751), a German-born architect who worked extensively in the Dutch city of Amsterdam, contributing to the design of several prominent buildings. Another significant individual was Marie-Louise Schofstall (1723-1794), a French painter and engraver who gained recognition for her portraits and landscapes.
In the 19th century, the SHOFSTALL surname began to appear in North America, as immigrants from Germany and other parts of Europe settled in the United States and Canada. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was that of Jacob Shofstall, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1812 and later became a farmer in Ohio.
Throughout its long history, the SHOFSTALL surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, including agriculture, craftsmanship, and the arts. While not a particularly widespread name, it has left its mark in various parts of the world, reflecting the diverse journeys and contributions of those who have borne it over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shofstall
Among Census respondents with the surname Shofstall, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Shofstall 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 Shofstall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 100
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shofstall
Shofstall 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-13 bearers (-11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 23,875 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 6,122 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 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -13 bearers (-11.4%) | Down 23,875 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Up 6,122 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 Shofstall 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 | #159,712 | #153,590 | 3.8% |
| Count | 101 | 104 | 3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shofstall bearers went from 101 to 104 (+3.0% change). The surname moved up 6,122 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #153,590.
FAQ
Shofstall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shofstall?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Shofstall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Shofstall?
Shofstall ranks #153,590 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 104 people with the surname Shofstall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), 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 Shofstall.
Has Shofstall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shofstall went from 101 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 3 (+3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Shofstall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shofstall, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Shofstall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shofstall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Shofstall (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 Shofstall mean?
A variant of the German surname Schoffstall, locational for someone from a place name containing "schopf" meaning shed or barn. 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 Shofstall (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 Americans have the surname Shofstall?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.