2000
#3,729
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,730
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.24
Rare Last name
Shuman
A surname of German origin, derived from the Middle High German term "schuochman," meaning shoemaker or cobbler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,408 Americans carry the last name Shuman. That puts it at #4,184 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,432 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shuman 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
9.4K
1 in 36,432
Census rank
#4,184
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,204 bearers of the surname Shuman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4184th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shuman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shuman
The surname SHUMAN is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "schūman," which means a shoemaker or cobbler. This occupational surname first emerged in the 13th century in various regions of present-day Germany and neighboring areas.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval German records, often appearing as variants such as Schuman, Schuhman, or Schuemann. One notable example is Johannes Schuman, a merchant from Nuremberg, who was mentioned in a document dated 1381.
In the 15th century, the name SHUMAN began to spread beyond Germany, carried by migrants and tradespeople seeking new opportunities. It can be found in historical records from regions like Switzerland, Poland, and the Netherlands.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name SHUMAN outside of Germany was Hans Schuman, a Swiss clockmaker born around 1460 in Basel. His innovative designs and craftsmanship brought him recognition throughout Europe.
As the name continued to spread, various spellings emerged, reflecting local dialects and linguistic influences. In England, for instance, the surname appeared as Shuman or Shoeman, while in France it took the form of Choumin or Choueman.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, several notable figures bore the SHUMAN surname. Andrew Shuman (1630-1690) was a prominent Dutch merchant and landowner in New Amsterdam, later known as New York. Johann Shuman (1722-1786), a German composer and organist, gained fame for his sacred choral works.
In the 19th century, the name SHUMAN gained further recognition with individuals like William Shuman (1820-1898), an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Representative from Indiana. Another notable bearer was Jacob Gould Shuman (1854-1924), a New York-based architect responsible for designing several iconic buildings, including the New York Times Building and the Washington Memorial Arch.
Throughout its history, the surname SHUMAN has been closely tied to its occupational origins, reflecting the skills and craftsmanship of shoemakers and cobblers. While the name has evolved and spread across different regions, its linguistic roots remain firmly grounded in the German language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shuman
Among Census respondents with the surname Shuman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Shuman 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 Shuman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 7,182
- Black or African American5.7% · 469
- Two or more races2.9% · 239
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 224
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 55
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shuman
Shuman 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
#3,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,043
+313 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 3.07
Rank movement Down 208 places
2020
#4,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,204
-839 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 2.74
Rank movement Down 247 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,729 | 8,730 | 3.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,937 | 9,043 | 3.07 | +313 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 208 places |
| 2020 | #4,184 | 8,204 | 2.74 | -839 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 247 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 Shuman 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 | #3,937 | #4,184 | -6.3% |
| Count | 9,043 | 8,204 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.07 | 2.74 | -10.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shuman bearers went from 9,043 to 8,204 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 247 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,937 to #4,184.
FAQ
Shuman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shuman?
Name Census estimates that about 9,408 living Americans carry the surname Shuman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,432 residents.
How common is Shuman?
Shuman ranks #4,184 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,204 people with the surname Shuman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,408), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Shuman.
Has Shuman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shuman went from 9,043 recorded bearers to 8,204. That is a decrease of 839 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,937 to #4,184.
What does the Census say about the background of Shuman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shuman, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Shuman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (7,182 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shuman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Black (5.7%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Shuman (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 Shuman mean?
A surname of German origin, derived from the Middle High German term "schuochman," meaning shoemaker or cobbler. 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 Shuman (2.74 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 Shuman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.