2000
#11,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,574
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Shoulders
An English occupational surname referring to a person who made shoulder armor or was broad-shouldered.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,084 Americans carry the last name Shoulders. That puts it at #11,240 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,140 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shoulders 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Shoulders with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 111,140
Census rank
#11,240
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,689 bearers of the surname Shoulders in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11240th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shoulders, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.7%. The next largest groups are Black (39.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shoulders
The surname "SHOULDERS" is believed to have originated in England, with records dating back to the late 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "sculdor," meaning "shoulder," which was likely used as a nickname or descriptive name for someone with broad or strong shoulders.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Parish Records of St. Mary's Church in Chilham, Kent, England, where a John Shoulders was christened in 1592. Another early reference is found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1611, which mention a Thomas Shoulders.
It is possible that the name Shoulders originated as a place name, as there are several villages and hamlets in England with similar names, such as Shouldham in Norfolk and Shoulderton in Lincolnshire. These place names may have been derived from the Old English words "sculdor" and "ham," meaning "shoulder" and "homestead" or "village."
One notable historical figure with the surname Shoulders was Sir John Shoulders (1616-1686), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Guildford in the 17th century. Another was Robert Shoulders (1778-1853), an English architect and surveyor who worked on several prominent buildings in London, including the Buckingham Palace and the Royal Pavilion in Brighton.
In the United States, one of the earliest known bearers of the name was William Shoulders, who was born in Virginia in the late 17th century and was among the early settlers of Pennsylvania. During the American Revolutionary War, a Captain James Shoulders served in the Virginia militia and fought in several battles, including the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in 1781.
Other notable individuals with the surname Shoulders include Alfred Shoulders (1821-1899), an English landscape painter known for his depictions of rural scenes, and John Shoulders (1840-1916), an American politician who served as the 26th Governor of Tennessee from 1913 to 1915.
Overall, the surname "SHOULDERS" has a long and fascinating history, with roots tracing back to medieval England and a connection to physical attributes, occupations, and places. Its bearers have made significant contributions in various fields over the centuries, cementing the name's place in history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shoulders
Among Census respondents with the surname Shoulders, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.7%. The next largest groups are Black (39.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Shoulders 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 Shoulders surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.7% · 1,389
- Black or African American39.3% · 1,058
- Two or more races4.3% · 116
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shoulders
Shoulders 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
#11,472
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,744
+170 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 199 places
2020
#11,240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,689
-55 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 232 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,273 | 2,574 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,472 | 2,744 | 0.93 | +170 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 199 places |
| 2020 | #11,240 | 2,689 | 0.90 | -55 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 232 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 Shoulders 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 | #11,472 | #11,240 | 2.0% |
| Count | 2,744 | 2,689 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.90 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shoulders bearers went from 2,744 to 2,689 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 232 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,472 to #11,240.
FAQ
Shoulders surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shoulders?
Name Census estimates that about 3,084 living Americans carry the surname Shoulders. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,140 residents.
How common is Shoulders?
Shoulders ranks #11,240 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,689 people with the surname Shoulders. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,084), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Shoulders.
Has Shoulders become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shoulders went from 2,744 recorded bearers to 2,689. That is a decrease of 55 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,472 to #11,240.
What does the Census say about the background of Shoulders?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shoulders, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.7%. The next largest groups are Black (39.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Shoulders in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.7% (1,389 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shoulders appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.7%), Black (39.3%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Shoulders (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 Shoulders mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who made shoulder armor or was broad-shouldered. 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 Shoulders (0.90 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 last name Shoulders?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Shoulders on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.