2000
#8,591
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,527
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.31
Rare Last name
Shotwell
An English locational surname referring to someone who lived near a spring or well.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,923 Americans carry the last name Shotwell. That puts it at #9,165 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 87,370 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shotwell 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
3.9K
1 in 87,370
Census rank
#9,165
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,421 bearers of the surname Shotwell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9165th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shotwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shotwell
The surname SHOTWELL is of English origin, traced back to the counties of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire in the Midlands region of England. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "scotte" and "well," meaning "a spring or stream frequented by woodcocks or snipes." This suggests that the name initially referred to individuals who lived near such a water source teeming with these migratory birds.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Nottinghamshire, a census-like survey conducted in 1275 during the reign of King Edward I. The entry mentions a certain "William de Scottewell," residing in the village of the same name, now known as Scotwell.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Shottewell, Scowtwell, and Schottewell, reflecting the inconsistencies in written English during that period. One notable mention is in the Pipe Rolls of Derbyshire from 1379, which listed a "John Shotwell" as a taxpayer.
The Domesday Book, the famous survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the SHOTWELL name. However, it does mention several locations with similar-sounding names, such as "Scotuuelle" in Nottinghamshire and "Scotwelle" in Derbyshire, which may have been early precursors to the modern surname.
Among the earliest recorded individuals with the SHOTWELL surname was Sir John Shotwell (c. 1420-1492), a prominent English landowner and member of the gentry from Derbyshire. He served as a knight of the shire (a member of parliament) for Derbyshire in 1472.
Another notable figure was Reverend Thomas Shotwell (1652-1712), an English clergyman who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham for over three decades. He was known for his published sermons and religious writings.
In the 18th century, Benjamin Shotwell (1736-1792) was a prominent American Quaker from New Jersey. He was a vocal opponent of slavery and played a significant role in the early abolitionist movement in the United States.
Alfred Shotwell (1835-1908) was a 19th-century American author and historian, best known for his works on the history of New Jersey and the American Revolution.
Lastly, James Thomson Shotwell (1874-1965) was an influential American historian and diplomat. He served as a professor at Columbia University and was a leading figure in the establishment of the United Nations after World War II.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shotwell
Among Census respondents with the surname Shotwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Shotwell 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 Shotwell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.2% · 2,608
- Black or African American15.2% · 521
- Two or more races4.1% · 141
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shotwell
Shotwell 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
#9,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,553
+26 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 590 places
2020
#9,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,421
-132 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Up 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,591 | 3,527 | 1.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,181 | 3,553 | 1.20 | +26 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 590 places |
| 2020 | #9,165 | 3,421 | 1.14 | -132 bearers (-3.7%) | Up 16 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 Shotwell 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 | #9,181 | #9,165 | 0.2% |
| Count | 3,553 | 3,421 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.20 | 1.14 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shotwell bearers went from 3,553 to 3,421 (-3.7% change). The surname moved up 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,181 to #9,165.
FAQ
Shotwell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shotwell?
Name Census estimates that about 3,923 living Americans carry the surname Shotwell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 87,370 residents.
How common is Shotwell?
Shotwell ranks #9,165 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,421 people with the surname Shotwell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,923), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Shotwell.
Has Shotwell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shotwell went from 3,553 recorded bearers to 3,421. That is a decrease of 132 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,181 to #9,165.
What does the Census say about the background of Shotwell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shotwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Shotwell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.2% (2,608 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shotwell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.2%), Black (15.2%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Shotwell (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 Shotwell mean?
An English locational surname referring to someone who lived near a spring or well. 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 Shotwell (1.14 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 have the surname Shotwell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.