2000
#3,063
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,844
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.02
Uncommon Last name
Shuler
An occupational surname referring to a student, scholar, or teacher, derived from the German word "Schüler."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,213 Americans carry the last name Shuler. That puts it at #3,316 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 28,065 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shuler 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
12K
1 in 28,065
Census rank
#3,316
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,650 bearers of the surname Shuler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3316th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shuler, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (25.5%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shuler
The surname Shuler is of German origin, derived from the occupational name "Schuler" which means "village mayor" or "headman." It first emerged in the Middle Ages during the 12th and 13th centuries in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony.
One of the earliest known records of the name Shuler appears in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, dated around 1280. The name is spelled "Schuler" and refers to a village official named Heinrich Schuler.
In the 14th century, the name Shuler is found in several German town records, including those of Nuremberg and Augsburg. These records often mention individuals with the name Shuler holding positions of authority within their respective communities.
The spelling of the name has evolved over time, with variations such as "Schuller," "Schüler," and "Shuller" appearing in different regions of Germany. Some of these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or scribal errors.
One notable historical figure with the surname Shuler was Johann Shuler (1480-1548), a German theologian and reformer who was a contemporary of Martin Luther. He played a significant role in the spread of Protestantism in Saxony.
Another individual of note was Anna Shuler (1590-1660), a German writer and poet from Nuremberg. Her works, though not widely known today, were popular in her time and explored themes of love, nature, and spirituality.
In the 17th century, the name Shuler is found in records of German immigrants to the American colonies. One of the earliest known instances is Johannes Shuler, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1683.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, as German immigration to the United States increased, the surname Shuler became more widespread in North America. Notable individuals from this period include Peter Shuler (1734-1808), a German-American farmer and Revolutionary War soldier, and Friedrich Shuler (1789-1865), a German-born architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City.
Throughout history, the surname Shuler has been associated with various occupations, from village officials and religious figures to writers, soldiers, and architects. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, the name has since spread across the globe, reflecting the diverse paths of migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shuler
Among Census respondents with the surname Shuler, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (25.5%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Shuler 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 Shuler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.7% · 7,108
- Black or African American25.5% · 2,716
- Two or more races3.7% · 396
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 329
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 49
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shuler
Shuler 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
#3,195
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,315
+471 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 3.84
Rank movement Down 132 places
2020
#3,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,650
-665 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 3.56
Rank movement Down 121 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,063 | 10,844 | 4.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,195 | 11,315 | 3.84 | +471 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 132 places |
| 2020 | #3,316 | 10,650 | 3.56 | -665 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 121 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 Shuler 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 | #3,195 | #3,316 | -3.8% |
| Count | 11,315 | 10,650 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.84 | 3.56 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shuler bearers went from 11,315 to 10,650 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 121 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,195 to #3,316.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Shuler
FAQ
Shuler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shuler?
Name Census estimates that about 12,213 living Americans carry the surname Shuler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 28,065 residents.
How common is Shuler?
Shuler ranks #3,316 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,650 people with the surname Shuler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,213), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Shuler.
Has Shuler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shuler went from 11,315 recorded bearers to 10,650. That is a decrease of 665 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,195 to #3,316.
What does the Census say about the background of Shuler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shuler, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (25.5%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Shuler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.7% (7,108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shuler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.7%), Black (25.5%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Shuler (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 Shuler mean?
An occupational surname referring to a student, scholar, or teacher, derived from the German word "Schüler." 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 Shuler (3.56 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 have the last name Shuler?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Shuler on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.