2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shovein
A surname possibly derived from an Eastern European name or occupation related to shoveling or digging.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Shovein. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shovein 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Shovein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shovein, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shovein
The surname SHOVEIN has its origins in the rugged mountains of central Switzerland, where it first appeared around the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old Swiss German word "schaufeli," which referred to a type of broad shovel or scoop used for moving heavy materials such as snow or gravel.
In the early days, this name was likely given as a descriptive occupational surname to someone who worked with such tools, perhaps in the construction of alpine roads or fortifications. The earliest recorded spelling appears to be "Schaufelin" in a 1287 land registry from the village of Andermatt.
By the late 14th century, variations like "Schofflin" and "Schöflin" had emerged in the nearby cantons of Uri and Unterwalden. This suggests the name had spread among families involved in similar trades across the region.
One of the earliest known bearers was Hans Schöfflin, a stonemason from Altdorf who worked on the renowned Chapel Bridge in Lucerne around 1365. His son, Ulrich Schöfflin (1392-1467), served as a military engineer and helped fortify several Alpine passes during the Old Swiss Confederacy's struggles against the Habsburgs.
Another noteworthy figure was Katharina Schaufelin (1508-1572), an influential Protestant reformer from Basel. She hosted secret meetings of religious dissidents in her home and helped smuggle banned literature across the border from Germany.
As the centuries passed, the surname continued to evolve, with spellings like "Schövlin" and "Schöwflin" appearing in church records from Zurich and St. Gallen. By the 1600s, the modern form "SHOVEIN" had emerged, likely influenced by the French language's dominance in parts of western Switzerland.
One prominent bearer was Jakob SHOVEIN (1627-1701), a wealthy merchant from Fribourg who financed several Catholic religious orders and constructed an ornate family chapel that still stands today. In the 1800s, Josef SHOVEIN (1782-1844) became a highly regarded landscape painter, known for his depictions of the Bernese Oberland.
While still relatively uncommon outside Alpine regions, the name SHOVEIN maintains a strong connection to its Swiss origins and the rugged, industrious spirit of those early toolmakers and builders who first bore it centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shovein
Among Census respondents with the surname Shovein, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Shovein 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 Shovein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.4% · 106
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shovein
Shovein 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,521 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,086 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 5,521 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 2,086 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 Shovein 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 | #151,532 | #149,446 | 1.4% |
| Count | 108 | 110 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shovein bearers went from 108 to 110 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 2,086 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #149,446.
FAQ
Shovein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shovein?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Shovein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Shovein?
Shovein ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 110 people with the surname Shovein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Shovein.
Has Shovein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shovein went from 108 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Shovein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shovein, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Shovein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.4% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shovein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Shovein (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 Shovein mean?
A surname possibly derived from an Eastern European name or occupation related to shoveling or digging. 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 Shovein (0.04 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 Shovein?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.