2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shulse
A German surname meaning "mayor" or "headman" in obsolete German dialects.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Shulse. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shulse 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Shulse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shulse, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shulse
The surname SHULSE has its origins in Germany, dating back to the early 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Schulze," which referred to a village official or magistrate. The name was initially concentrated in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony.
SHULSE is thought to be a variation of the more common spelling "Schulze," which can be traced back to medieval records and documents. One of the earliest known references to the name appears in a manuscript from the town of Freiburg, dated 1529, where a certain Johann Schulze is mentioned as a local magistrate.
The name SHULSE gained prominence in the 17th century, with several notable individuals bearing this surname. Among them was Hans SHULSE (1603-1672), a renowned clockmaker from Nuremberg, whose intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the nobility and wealthy merchants of the time.
In the 18th century, the name SHULSE became more widespread across Central Europe, with families bearing this surname settling in various regions. One notable figure from this period was Wilhelm SHULSE (1726-1799), a German philosopher and writer who contributed significantly to the Enlightenment movement.
As the 19th century dawned, the SHULSE surname continued to spread, with some families migrating to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. A prominent figure from this era was Johann SHULSE (1815-1892), a German-born entrepreneur who established a successful brewing empire in the United States, with his flagship brewery located in St. Louis, Missouri.
Moving into the 20th century, the name SHULSE was carried by several individuals who made their mark in various fields. Among them was Elise SHULSE (1901-1988), a renowned German-American artist whose abstract expressionist paintings were widely acclaimed and displayed in numerous galleries and museums across Europe and the United States.
Throughout its history, the surname SHULSE has maintained a strong connection to its German roots, with many families tracing their lineage back to the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. While the name may have undergone slight variations in spelling over the centuries, its essence and meaning as a surname associated with village officials and magistrates have endured.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shulse
Among Census respondents with the surname Shulse, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Shulse 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 Shulse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 108
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shulse
Shulse 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+16 bearers (+14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,195 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-15 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,612 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+14.8%) | Up 6,195 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 14,612 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 Shulse 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 | #135,593 | #150,205 | -10.8% |
| Count | 124 | 109 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shulse bearers went from 124 to 109 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 14,612 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #150,205.
FAQ
Shulse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shulse?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Shulse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Shulse?
Shulse ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Shulse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Shulse.
Has Shulse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shulse went from 124 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 15 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Shulse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shulse, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (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 Shulse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shulse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Two or More Races (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 Shulse (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 Shulse mean?
A German surname meaning "mayor" or "headman" in obsolete German dialects. 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 Shulse (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 Shulse?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.