2000
#7,911
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,882
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.44
Rare Last name
Shroyer
An occupational surname for one who made or sold clothing, from the Middle High German "schroter" meaning "tailor."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,244 Americans carry the last name Shroyer. That puts it at #8,535 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,762 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shroyer 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
4.2K
1 in 80,762
Census rank
#8,535
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,701 bearers of the surname Shroyer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8535th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shroyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shroyer
The surname Shroyer is believed to have originated in Germany, dating back to the late medieval period around the 15th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old German word "schroyen," meaning "to shout" or "to call out." This suggests that the name may have been given to a town crier or someone with a particularly loud voice.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shroyer can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, from the year 1463, where a man named Hans Shroyer was listed as a resident. There are also mentions of the name in various other German towns and villages from the 16th and 17th centuries, with spellings such as Schroyer, Schroier, and Schroer.
The name Shroyer is closely associated with the town of Schroyers, located in the German state of Bavaria. It is believed that the town may have been named after an individual with the surname Shroyer, or that the surname itself originated from the town's name.
One notable historical figure with the surname Shroyer was Johann Shroyer, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1542 to 1608. He was known for his works on Protestant theology and his contributions to the development of early modern philosophy.
In the United States, the Shroyer surname can be traced back to the late 18th century, when German immigrants began arriving in larger numbers. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was in Pennsylvania, where a man named Michael Shroyer was listed as a resident in 1787.
Another notable individual with the Shroyer surname was Samuel Shroyer, an American politician and lawyer who lived from 1802 to 1865. He served as a member of the Ohio State Senate and was also a judge in the Court of Common Pleas.
In more recent history, there have been several individuals with the Shroyer surname who have achieved recognition in various fields. One example is Clyde Shroyer, an American football coach who was born in 1931 and served as the head coach of the United States Military Academy at West Point from 1973 to 1977.
Overall, the surname Shroyer has a rich history that spans several centuries and multiple countries, with its origins firmly rooted in the German language and culture. While the name may have evolved over time, it has remained a part of the cultural fabric of various communities and continues to be carried on by individuals around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shroyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Shroyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Shroyer 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 Shroyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 3,436
- Two or more races3.3% · 123
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 94
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 16
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shroyer
Shroyer 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
#8,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,904
+22 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Down 547 places
2020
#8,535
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,701
-203 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 77 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,911 | 3,882 | 1.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,458 | 3,904 | 1.32 | +22 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 547 places |
| 2020 | #8,535 | 3,701 | 1.24 | -203 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 77 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 Shroyer 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 | #8,458 | #8,535 | -0.9% |
| Count | 3,904 | 3,701 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.32 | 1.24 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shroyer bearers went from 3,904 to 3,701 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 77 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,458 to #8,535.
FAQ
Shroyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shroyer?
Name Census estimates that about 4,244 living Americans carry the surname Shroyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,762 residents.
How common is Shroyer?
Shroyer ranks #8,535 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.24 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 3,701 people with the surname Shroyer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,244), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.24 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 Shroyer.
Has Shroyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shroyer went from 3,904 recorded bearers to 3,701. That is a decrease of 203 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,458 to #8,535.
What does the Census say about the background of Shroyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shroyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Shroyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (3,436 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shroyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Shroyer (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 Shroyer mean?
An occupational surname for one who made or sold clothing, from the Middle High German "schroter" meaning "tailor." 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 Shroyer (1.24 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 Shroyer?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.