2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sholin
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly referring to a place name or topographic feature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Sholin. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sholin 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Sholin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sholin, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sholin
The surname SHOLIN is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, likely derived from an old Anglo-Saxon word or place name. One possible source is the Old English word "scolere," which referred to a scholar or student, suggesting that the name may have been associated with someone who had received an education or worked in a scholarly or academic setting.
Another theory traces the name back to a location or region, possibly a small village or hamlet that no longer exists or has been absorbed into a larger town or city over the centuries. Names derived from place names were common during this era, often indicating where a person or family originated.
While there are no definitive records of the SHOLIN surname appearing in major historical documents like the Domesday Book, some of the earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various parish records and legal documents from counties like Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
One notable individual with the SHOLIN surname was John SHOLIN, a merchant and landowner who lived in the city of York in the late 15th century (c. 1460-1522). Records indicate that he was a successful trader and owned several properties within the city walls.
Another early bearer of the name was William SHOLIN (c. 1520-1589), a farmer and landowner from the village of Bradfield in Yorkshire. His family is mentioned in local records from the mid-16th century, and he is believed to have been a prosperous member of the rural community.
In the 17th century, a man named Thomas SHOLIN (1624-1692) served as a clerk for the Court of Chancery in London. He is noted in various legal documents and records from the time, indicating that the name had spread to the capital city by this period.
A more recent historical figure was Elizabeth SHOLIN (1798-1867), a novelist and poet who published several works in the early 19th century. Born in Lincolnshire, she gained some recognition for her romantic fiction and nature-inspired poetry during her lifetime.
Finally, in the late 19th century, a man named Edward SHOLIN (1842-1912) was a prominent architect based in Manchester. He designed several notable buildings and landmarks in the city, including the Manchester Town Hall extension and the Trafford Park industrial estate.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the SHOLIN surname throughout history, showcasing its longevity and presence across various regions and professions in England over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sholin
Among Census respondents with the surname Sholin, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sholin 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 Sholin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino12.0% · 12
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sholin
Sholin 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
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,605 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-9 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,230 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 6,605 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 5,230 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 Sholin 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 | #155,682 | -3.5% |
| Count | 109 | 100 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sholin bearers went from 109 to 100 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 5,230 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #155,682.
FAQ
Sholin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sholin?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Sholin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Sholin?
Sholin ranks #155,682 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 100 people with the surname Sholin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), 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 Sholin.
Has Sholin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sholin went from 109 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 9 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Sholin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sholin, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Sholin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sholin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Hispanic (12.0%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Sholin (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 Sholin mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly referring to a place name or topographic feature. 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 Sholin (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 people are called Sholin?
Want to know how many people have the last name Sholin? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.