2000
#1,919
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,204
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.38
Uncommon Last name
Shultz
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "schultheize," meaning a village headman or magistrate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,943 Americans carry the last name Shultz. That puts it at #2,134 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,094 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shultz 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
19K
1 in 18,094
Census rank
#2,134
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,519 bearers of the surname Shultz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2134th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shultz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shultz
The surname Shultz has its origins in Germany, and it is a variation of the German surname Schulz. The name is derived from the German word "Schulze," which means an official or a constable who collected taxes or fines. It is believed that the name first emerged in the 12th or 13th century in various parts of Germany, particularly in the northern and eastern regions.
One of the earliest records of the surname Shultz can be found in the Prussian town of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia) in the 14th century. The name is also mentioned in several medieval German manuscripts and documents, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical records from the Margraviate of Brandenburg.
The surname Shultz has undergone various spellings throughout history, including Schultz, Schulze, Schultze, and Schulte, among others. These variations can often be attributed to regional dialects and local pronunciation differences within Germany.
In terms of notable individuals with the surname Shultz, one of the earliest recorded was Johann Schultz (1582-1653), a German astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of comets and planetary motion.
Another prominent figure was Carl Shultz (1826-1914), a German-American architect who designed numerous buildings in San Francisco, including the Old Mint and the original Cliff House.
In the literary world, Bruno Shultz (1892-1942) was a Polish-Jewish writer and painter, best known for his collection of short stories titled "The Street of Crocodiles."
The name Shultz has also been associated with several place names in Germany, such as Schulzendorf, a town in Brandenburg, and Schulzenhof, a village in Saxony-Anhalt.
Other notable individuals with the surname Shultz include Charles M. Schulz (1922-2000), the American cartoonist and creator of the iconic comic strip "Peanuts," and Debbie Shultz (born 1958), an American professional golfer who won multiple LPGA Tour events.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shultz
Among Census respondents with the surname Shultz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Shultz 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 Shultz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 15,212
- Two or more races3.3% · 544
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 464
- Black or African American0.8% · 136
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 106
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shultz
Shultz 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
#2,080
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,395
+191 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 5.90
Rank movement Down 161 places
2020
#2,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,519
-876 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 5.53
Rank movement Down 54 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,919 | 17,204 | 6.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,080 | 17,395 | 5.90 | +191 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 161 places |
| 2020 | #2,134 | 16,519 | 5.53 | -876 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 54 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 Shultz 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 | #2,080 | #2,134 | -2.6% |
| Count | 17,395 | 16,519 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 5.90 | 5.53 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shultz bearers went from 17,395 to 16,519 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 54 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,080 to #2,134.
FAQ
Shultz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shultz?
Name Census estimates that about 18,943 living Americans carry the surname Shultz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,094 residents.
How common is Shultz?
Shultz ranks #2,134 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,519 people with the surname Shultz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,943), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Shultz.
Has Shultz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shultz went from 17,395 recorded bearers to 16,519. That is a decrease of 876 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,080 to #2,134.
What does the Census say about the background of Shultz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shultz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (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 Shultz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (15,212 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shultz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (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 Shultz (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 Shultz mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "schultheize," meaning a village headman or magistrate. 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 Shultz (5.53 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 Shultz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.