2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shulstad
A Norwegian surname derived from a farm name and meaning "hillside settlement".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Shulstad. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shulstad 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Shulstad in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shulstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shulstad
The surname Shulstad is of Norwegian origin, originating in the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse words "skuli" meaning "shelter" or "cover", and "stadr" meaning "place". The name likely referred to someone who lived near a sheltered or secluded place, such as a cove or a valley.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Shulstad can be found in the Norwegian census records of the 16th century, with variations in spelling like "Skuldstad" and "Skulstad". These early records indicate that the name was primarily concentrated in the western regions of Norway, particularly in the areas around Bergen and Stavanger.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Shulstad was Ola Shulstad, a farmer who lived in the village of Voss, Norway, in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Ingrid Shulstad, a seamstress in Bergen, mentioned in the city's guild records from the early 1600s.
During the 19th century, the name Shulstad began to appear in various Norwegian-American communities across the United States, as many Norwegians immigrated to the country. One such individual was Hans Shulstad (1832-1912), who settled in Minnesota and became a prominent farmer and landowner.
Another notable figure was Kristian Shulstad (1856-1932), a Norwegian-American author and journalist who wrote extensively about Norwegian culture and history. His works, such as "The Norse Discoverers of America" (1888), helped to preserve and promote Norwegian heritage in the United States.
In the early 20th century, Ingrid Shulstad (1890-1978) was a Norwegian-American educator who founded the Shulstad School of Dance in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school became renowned for its instruction in traditional Norwegian folk dances and played a significant role in preserving Norwegian cultural traditions in the region.
One of the more recent individuals with the surname Shulstad was Bjorn Shulstad (1920-2005), a Norwegian-American businessman and philanthropist. He founded the successful Shulstad Enterprises, a diversified holding company, and was also known for his generous support of various educational and cultural initiatives in Minnesota.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shulstad
Among Census respondents with the surname Shulstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Shulstad 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 Shulstad surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 99
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shulstad
Shulstad 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 12,326 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,895 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 12,326 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 4,895 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 Shulstad 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 | #157,234 | #152,339 | 3.1% |
| Count | 103 | 106 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shulstad bearers went from 103 to 106 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 4,895 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #152,339.
FAQ
Shulstad surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shulstad?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Shulstad. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Shulstad?
Shulstad ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Shulstad. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Shulstad.
Has Shulstad become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shulstad went from 103 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Shulstad?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shulstad, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Shulstad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shulstad appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Shulstad (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 Shulstad mean?
A Norwegian surname derived from a farm name and meaning "hillside settlement". 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 Shulstad (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 Americans have the surname Shulstad?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.