Find out how popular the last name Ulshafer is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ulshafer.

Ulshafer, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ulshafer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ulshafer in America

Ulshafer is the 54055th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ulshafer surname appeared 382 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ulshafer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ulshafer to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ulshafer

The surname ULSHAFER has its origins in Germany, and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German words "uls" meaning "owl" and "schäfer" meaning "shepherd." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a shepherd who worked with owls or tended to flocks in areas where owls were prevalent.

Records from the 1500s indicate that the name was concentrated in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. Early spellings of the name included Ulschäfer, Ulschafer, and Ulschaefer, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in pronunciation.

One of the earliest known references to the name ULSHAFER can be found in a German church register from 1612, which mentions a Johann Ulschäfer residing in the town of Mühlhausen. Another notable early record is a marriage certificate from 1674 in Nuremberg, documenting the union of Hans Ulschaefer and Anna Maria Bauer.

In the 18th century, the name began to spread beyond Germany's borders as Ulshafers emigrated to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. One of the first recorded individuals with this surname in the United States was Johann Georg Ulshafer, who arrived in Pennsylvania from Germany in 1738.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name ULSHAFER. These include:

1. Wilhelm Ulshafer (1802-1879), a German composer and organist known for his works in sacred music.
2. Sophia Ulshafer (1835-1911), a German-born American pioneer and philanthropist who founded several schools and orphanages in Wisconsin.
3. Theodor Ulshafer (1861-1924), a German-American architect who designed numerous public buildings and churches in Chicago.
4. Gerhard Ulshafer (1892-1968), a German military officer who served in both World Wars and received the Iron Cross for his service.
5. Ingrid Ulshafer (1921-2003), a German-born American artist celebrated for her abstract expressionist paintings and sculptures.

While the ULSHAFER name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread across the globe, with descendants now found in countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and various parts of Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ulshafer

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ulshafer.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ulshafer was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ulshafer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ulshafer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ulshafer, please contact us.

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