2000
#38,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 541
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Shontz
A surname suggesting habitational origins in Poland or Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 587 Americans carry the last name Shontz. That puts it at #45,060 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 583,909 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shontz 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
587
1 in 583,909
Census rank
#45,060
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
512
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 512 bearers of the surname Shontz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 45060th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shontz, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shontz
The surname SHONTZ is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Bavaria. It is thought to have emerged in the 15th or 16th century, though the exact origins are uncertain. Some linguists suggest that it may be derived from an old German word or phrase related to a person's occupation or physical characteristics.
One theory proposes that SHONTZ could be linked to the German word "schön," meaning "beautiful" or "handsome." This could indicate that the name was initially a descriptive nickname given to someone with an attractive appearance. Another possibility is that it stems from a place name or a variation of a German occupational surname, such as "Schönitz" or "Schönhütz."
While there are no definitive historical references to the SHONTZ name in major medieval records like the Domesday Book, some early examples of the surname can be found in German church records and local documents from the 16th and 17th centuries. These records often include variations in spelling, such as "Schöntz," "Schönz," or "Schönzl."
One of the earliest known individuals with the SHONTZ surname was Hans Schöntz, a German farmer born in the village of Rohrbach, Bavaria, around 1560. Another notable figure was Johann Schöntz, a Lutheran pastor who lived in Nuremberg, Germany, from 1620 to 1687.
In the 18th century, a prominent SHONTZ family resided in the town of Bamberg, Bavaria. Among them was Christoph Schöntz (1705-1782), a successful merchant and landowner. His son, Johann Friedrich Schöntz (1745-1821), was a respected lawyer and judge in the region.
As the SHONTZ surname spread beyond Germany, it also found its way to other parts of Europe and eventually to North America. One notable individual was Joseph Shontz (1810-1892), a German-born American immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania and became a prosperous farmer and community leader.
Another significant figure was Wilhelm Schöntz (1855-1925), a German-American engineer and inventor who played a crucial role in the development of early automobiles. He held numerous patents and worked for companies like Benz and Daimler in the late 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shontz
Among Census respondents with the surname Shontz, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Shontz 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 Shontz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 466
- Two or more races4.7% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 2
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shontz
Shontz 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
#40,371
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 542
+1 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 1,907 places
2020
#45,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 512
-30 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 4,689 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #38,464 | 541 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #40,371 | 542 | 0.18 | +1 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 1,907 places |
| 2020 | #45,060 | 512 | 0.17 | -30 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 4,689 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 Shontz 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 | #40,371 | #45,060 | -11.6% |
| Count | 542 | 512 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.17 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shontz bearers went from 542 to 512 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 4,689 positions in the national ranking, going from #40,371 to #45,060.
FAQ
Shontz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shontz?
Name Census estimates that about 587 living Americans carry the surname Shontz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 583,909 residents.
How common is Shontz?
Shontz ranks #45,060 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 512 people with the surname Shontz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (587), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Shontz.
Has Shontz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shontz went from 542 recorded bearers to 512. That is a decrease of 30 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #40,371 to #45,060.
What does the Census say about the background of Shontz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shontz, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Shontz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (466 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shontz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Shontz (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 Shontz mean?
A surname suggesting habitational origins in Poland or Germany. 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 Shontz (0.17 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 Shontz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.