2000
#118,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Shuffitt
A locational surname likely derived from a place name incorporating the Old English elements "scūfan" meaning to push and "hyll" for hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Shuffitt. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shuffitt 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Shuffitt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shuffitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shuffitt
The surname Shuffitt has its origins in England, dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have evolved from the Old English word "scufan," which means "to push" or "to shove." This suggests that the name may have been initially a descriptive nickname given to someone who was known for their forceful or aggressive nature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shuffitt can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Warwickshire, where a certain Thomas Shuffitt was listed as a resident in 1592. Additionally, there are records of a John Shuffitt being mentioned in the court rolls of Gloucestershire in 1604.
The Shuffitt surname is also closely associated with the village of Shuffield, located in Shropshire. It is possible that the name originated from this place name, which itself may have been derived from the Old English words "sceaf" (sheaf) and "feld" (field), suggesting a connection to agricultural activities in the area.
In the 17th century, the name Shuffitt appeared in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, where a Robert Shuffitt was recorded as a landowner in 1638. Another notable figure was William Shuffitt, a merchant from Bristol, who was mentioned in trade records from the late 1600s.
As the centuries passed, the Shuffitt surname spread across different regions of England, and variations in spelling emerged, such as Shuffield, Shufilt, and Shuffeld. One prominent individual bearing this name was John Shuffitt (1725-1801), a renowned clockmaker from Lincolnshire, whose works are still highly prized by collectors today.
Another noteworthy figure was Sir Thomas Shuffitt (1790-1867), a Member of Parliament for the borough of Stafford in the early 19th century. He was known for his advocacy of social reforms and his support for the abolition of slavery.
In the late 19th century, a branch of the Shuffitt family settled in the United States, with records showing a James Shuffitt (1845-1923) as one of the earliest immigrants from England. He established a successful farming business in Illinois, and his descendants continue to carry on the Shuffitt name in various parts of the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shuffitt
Among Census respondents with the surname Shuffitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Shuffitt 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 Shuffitt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 114
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shuffitt
Shuffitt 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
#126,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
-1 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 8,529 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-18 bearers (-13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,505 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,236 | 136 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,765 | 135 | 0.05 | -1 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 8,529 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.3%) | Down 17,505 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 Shuffitt 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 | #126,765 | #144,270 | -13.8% |
| Count | 135 | 117 | -13.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shuffitt bearers went from 135 to 117 (-13.3% change). The surname moved down 17,505 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,765 to #144,270.
FAQ
Shuffitt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shuffitt?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Shuffitt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Shuffitt?
Shuffitt ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Shuffitt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Shuffitt.
Has Shuffitt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shuffitt went from 135 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 18 (-13.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,765 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Shuffitt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shuffitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Shuffitt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shuffitt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Two or More Races (1.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Shuffitt (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 Shuffitt mean?
A locational surname likely derived from a place name incorporating the Old English elements "scūfan" meaning to push and "hyll" for hill. 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 Shuffitt (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 are called Shuffitt?
Want to know how many people have the last name Shuffitt? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.