2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shullaw
Variant spelling of Shellaw, a Scottish surname derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Shullaw. 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 Shullaw 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 Shullaw 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 Shullaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shullaw
The surname Shullaw has its origins in the Scottish Lowlands, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "sceol" meaning "school" and "hlaw" meaning "hill" or "mound." This suggests that the name likely referred to an individual who lived near or worked at a school located on a hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document recording the nobility of Scotland who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during the Scottish Wars of Independence. The name is listed as "Schoulhalch," indicating its spelling variations throughout history.
The name Shullaw is closely associated with the village of Shullaw, located in the Scottish Borders region. This small settlement likely took its name from the Shullaw family who resided there in ancient times. The village name itself can be traced back to the 13th century, appearing in records as "Schoullach" and "Schoulhaw."
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Shullaw surname was Robert Shullaw (c. 1520 - 1590), a Scottish clergyman and author. He served as the minister of Duns and was known for his work "The Proverbs of Solomon," a translation of the biblical text into Scottish vernacular.
Another prominent individual was Sir John Shullaw (1645 - 1721), a Scottish lawyer and judge. He served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1692 to 1705 and played a significant role in the negotiations leading to the Acts of Union in 1707, which united the kingdoms of Scotland and England.
In the 18th century, James Shullaw (1728 - 1798) gained recognition as a Scottish architect and civil engineer. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the Old College of the University of Edinburgh and the city's North Bridge.
The Shullaw name also found its way into literature, with the character of Archibald Shullaw appearing in Sir Walter Scott's novel "The Heart of Midlothian," published in 1818. This fictional character was a farmer from the village of Shullaw, further cementing the name's connection to the Scottish Borders region.
In the 19th century, William Shullaw (1812 - 1887) made his mark as a Scottish photographer and inventor. He is credited with developing an early form of stereoscopic photography and was a pioneer in the field of photographic technology.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shullaw
Among Census respondents with the surname Shullaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Shullaw 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 Shullaw surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shullaw
Shullaw 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+4 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,608 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+13 bearers (+12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,774 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 5,608 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.5%) | Up 11,774 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 Shullaw 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 | #156,044 | #144,270 | 7.5% |
| Count | 104 | 117 | 12.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shullaw bearers went from 104 to 117 (+12.5% change). The surname moved up 11,774 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #144,270.
FAQ
Shullaw surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shullaw?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Shullaw. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Shullaw?
Shullaw 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 Shullaw. 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 Shullaw.
Has Shullaw become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shullaw went from 104 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 13 (+12.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Shullaw?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shullaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Shullaw in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shullaw appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (2.6%), Black (1.7%). 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 Shullaw (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 Shullaw mean?
Variant spelling of Shellaw, a Scottish surname derived from a place name. 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 Shullaw (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 Shullaw?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.