2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sholts
A variant spelling of a German surname from "Scholz", meaning "reeve" or "bailiff".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 108 Americans carry the last name Sholts. That puts it at #156,608 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,173,651 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sholts 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
108
1 in 3,173,651
Census rank
#156,608
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
94
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 94 bearers of the surname Sholts in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156608th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sholts, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and Black (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sholts
The surname SHOLTS is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "scholz," meaning a reeve or bailiff. The earliest known spelling variations include Scholz, Scholtz, Scholze, and Scholtes.
Some of the first recorded instances of the SHOLTS name can be found in historical documents from the 13th century in the region of Bavaria. A notable early bearer of the name was Johann Scholtz, a prominent merchant from the city of Augsburg, who was mentioned in municipal records from the year 1312.
In the 15th century, the SHOLTS name appeared in the Wormser Reichsmatrikel, a register of the nobles of the Holy Roman Empire. This document listed a certain Heinrich Scholts von Eichstätt, a knight from the town of Eichstätt in Bavaria, who lived around the year 1489.
During the 16th century, the SHOLTS name began to spread beyond Germany, with some bearers migrating to other parts of Europe. In 1532, a man named Caspar Scholtz was recorded as a citizen of the city of Gdańsk (then known as Danzig) in modern-day Poland.
One of the most notable historical figures with the SHOLTS surname was Johann Valentin Scholts, a German-born theologian and philosopher who lived from 1624 to 1693. He was a professor at the University of Jena and is remembered for his contributions to the field of natural philosophy.
Another significant bearer of the SHOLTS name was Johann Friedrich Scholts, a German painter and engraver who was active in the 18th century. Born in 1736 in the city of Leipzig, he became known for his intricate copperplate engravings and portraits of notable figures of the time.
In the 19th century, the SHOLTS surname continued to be found throughout Germany and parts of Central Europe. One notable example was Carl Scholts, a German-born architect who lived from 1829 to 1901. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in the city of Dresden, including the Semper Opera House.
While the SHOLTS name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and the diaspora of German communities. However, its earliest recorded origins and most significant historical bearers can be traced back to the regions of Bavaria and other parts of central Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sholts
Among Census respondents with the surname Sholts, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and Black (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Sholts 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 Sholts surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 89
- Two or more races2.1% · 2
- Black or African American1.1% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sholts
Sholts 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-8 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 19,187 places
2020
#156,608
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 94
-6 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 4,367 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 19,187 places |
| 2020 | #156,608 | 94 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-6.0%) | Up 4,367 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 Sholts 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 | #160,975 | #156,608 | 2.7% |
| Count | 100 | 94 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sholts bearers went from 100 to 94 (-6.0% change). The surname moved up 4,367 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #156,608.
FAQ
Sholts surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sholts?
Name Census estimates that about 108 living Americans carry the surname Sholts. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,173,651 residents.
How common is Sholts?
Sholts ranks #156,608 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 94 people with the surname Sholts. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (108), 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 Sholts.
Has Sholts become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sholts went from 100 recorded bearers to 94. That is a decrease of 6 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #156,608.
What does the Census say about the background of Sholts?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sholts, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and Black (1.1%). 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 Sholts in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sholts appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Two or More Races (2.1%), Black (1.1%). 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 Sholts (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 Sholts mean?
A variant spelling of a German surname from "Scholz", meaning "reeve" or "bailiff". 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 Sholts (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 common is the surname Sholts?
If you just want to know how many people are called Sholts, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.