2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shopher
An occupational surname referring to a scribe or clerk.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Shopher. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shopher 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Shopher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shopher, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shopher
The surname SHOPHER is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria in southern Germany, dating back to the early 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "schopfer," meaning "creator" or "maker," which may have been an occupational surname for a craftsman or artisan.
One of the earliest known references to the name SHOPHER can be found in the historical records of the town of Augsburg, Bavaria, where a certain Hans Shopher was documented as a master woodcarver in the year 1524. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with woodworking or other crafts related to the creation of objects.
In the late 16th century, the SHOPHER name began to appear in various parts of central Europe, including parts of what is now Austria and Switzerland. A notable example is Johannes Shopher, a renowned clockmaker from Bern, Switzerland, who lived from 1562 to 1638 and was renowned for his intricate and innovative timepieces.
As the surname spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Schopfer, Schöpfer, and Shoepfer, reflecting the regional dialects and languages in which it was recorded. One of the earliest known instances of the SHOPHER spelling can be traced back to a family of weavers in the town of Freiburg, Germany, in the mid-17th century.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure bearing the SHOPHER name was Johann Michael Shopher, a renowned architect and master builder from Würzburg, Germany, who lived from 1710 to 1788. He was responsible for designing several notable churches and public buildings in the Baroque style, further reinforcing the association of the name with skilled craftsmanship.
Another notable bearer of the SHOPHER surname was Maria Shopher, a renowned painter and artist from Vienna, Austria, who lived from 1783 to 1853. Her works, which included portraits and landscapes, were highly regarded during her lifetime and can be found in various art collections across Europe.
As the centuries passed, the SHOPHER name continued to be associated with various trades and professions, from woodworkers and artisans to writers and scholars. While the name may have originated in Germany, it eventually spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural exchanges that occurred throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shopher
Among Census respondents with the surname Shopher, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Shopher 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 Shopher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 5
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shopher
Shopher appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 152 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 Shopher 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 | #154,907 | #154,755 | 0.1% |
| Count | 105 | 102 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shopher bearers went from 105 to 102 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 152 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #154,755.
FAQ
Shopher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shopher?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Shopher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Shopher?
Shopher ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Shopher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Shopher.
Has Shopher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shopher went from 105 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Shopher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shopher, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Shopher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shopher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Hispanic (4.9%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Shopher (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 Shopher mean?
An occupational surname referring to a scribe or clerk. 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 Shopher (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 Shopher?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Shopher on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.