2000
#9,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,012
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.12
Rare Last name
Shuey
A variant of the German surname Schuch, derived from Middle High German "schuoch," meaning shoe.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,300 Americans carry the last name Shuey. That puts it at #10,617 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,865 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shuey 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
3.3K
1 in 103,865
Census rank
#10,617
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,878 bearers of the surname Shuey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10617th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shuey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shuey
The surname Shuey is believed to have originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "Schuh," which means "shoe." This suggests that the name may have referred to a shoemaker or someone associated with the shoe trade in its early days.
The earliest recorded instances of the Shuey surname can be found in various German records and documents from the medieval period. One notable reference is found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae," a collection of historical documents from Saxony, where the name "Schuhe" is mentioned in the year 1285.
As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations. In some regions, it was written as "Schuhey," "Schuhe," or "Schueye." These variations reflect the influence of local dialects and the evolution of language over time.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Shuey surname was Johann Shuey, born in 1492 in Nuremberg, Germany. He was a prominent shoemaker and guild member during the Renaissance period. Another notable figure was Hans Shuey (1561-1637), a German artisan who specialized in making intricate leather goods and footwear for nobility.
In the 17th century, some members of the Shuey family migrated to the American colonies, particularly Pennsylvania and Maryland. One of the earliest recorded instances in America is that of Jacob Shuey, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 from the Palatinate region of Germany.
Several notable individuals throughout history have borne the Shuey surname. These include:
1. John Shuey (1708-1784), an early American settler and farmer in Pennsylvania.
2. William Shuey (1790-1865), a U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania who served from 1837 to 1839.
3. Edwin Shuey (1832-1915), an American educator and author who wrote extensively on Pennsylvania history and genealogy.
4. Ambrose Shuey (1867-1942), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Shuey Elevator Company in Ohio.
5. Tilden Shuey (1915-2002), a renowned American botanist and professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
While the Shuey surname may have originated humbly from the shoemaking trade, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, leaving an indelible mark on their respective fields and communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shuey
Among Census respondents with the surname Shuey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Shuey 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 Shuey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 2,655
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 87
- Two or more races2.8% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 19
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shuey
Shuey 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
#10,636
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,011
-1 bearers (-0.0%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 751 places
2020
#10,617
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,878
-133 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,885 | 3,012 | 1.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,636 | 3,011 | 1.02 | -1 bearers (-0.0%) | Down 751 places |
| 2020 | #10,617 | 2,878 | 0.96 | -133 bearers (-4.4%) | Up 19 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 Shuey 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 | #10,636 | #10,617 | 0.2% |
| Count | 3,011 | 2,878 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 0.96 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shuey bearers went from 3,011 to 2,878 (-4.4% change). The surname moved up 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,636 to #10,617.
FAQ
Shuey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shuey?
Name Census estimates that about 3,300 living Americans carry the surname Shuey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,865 residents.
How common is Shuey?
Shuey ranks #10,617 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,878 people with the surname Shuey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,300), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Shuey.
Has Shuey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shuey went from 3,011 recorded bearers to 2,878. That is a decrease of 133 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,636 to #10,617.
What does the Census say about the background of Shuey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shuey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Shuey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (2,655 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shuey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Shuey (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 Shuey mean?
A variant of the German surname Schuch, derived from Middle High German "schuoch," meaning shoe. 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 Shuey (0.96 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 Americans have the surname Shuey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.