Shields
A protective barrier or defense; symbolic of security.
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Shields. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shields today is around 83 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shields births was 1915 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shields. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Shields is about 83 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Shields' were born before 1953.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Shields. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1915
10 babies that year
Average age
83
years old
1962 SSA rank
#4,541
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Shields: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shields from the 1910s through to the 1960s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 40 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shields by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Shields during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shields' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shields
The name Shields is an English given name derived from the Old English word "scield," meaning a portable defensive protection device carried on the arm. It originated as an occupational surname for someone who made or sold shields during the medieval period in England.
In the 12th century, the name Shields emerged as a byname or nickname referring to someone who was a skilled shieldmaker or had a reputation for carrying a shield. As surnames became hereditary, this occupational byname evolved into a surname and eventually transitioned into a given name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shields can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a person named "Scild" in Essex, England. This suggests that the name had already been in use as a personal name or byname by the late 11th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Shields. In the 16th century, Shields Green (c. 1520-1589) was an English author and translator who published works on religion and philosophy. Another individual, Shields Udny (1642-1696), was a Scottish merchant and landowner who played a role in the Darien Scheme, an unsuccessful attempt to establish a Scottish colony in Panama.
In the 18th century, Shields Green (1711-1765) was an English clergyman and author who wrote on theological subjects. Later, in the 19th century, Shields Roberts (1846-1922) was a Welsh minister and author who wrote extensively on religious topics.
One of the most famous individuals with the name Shields was the American actor and director Shields Helon Haynie (1898-1981), better known as Rock Hudson. He was a prominent leading man in Hollywood during the 1950s and 1960s and starred in numerous popular films.
While the name Shields has its roots in the medieval English occupational byname, it has evolved over centuries and has been borne by individuals from various backgrounds and professions, from authors and clergymen to merchants and actors.
People
Shields + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shields as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Shields: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shields?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shields going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Shields a common name?
We classify Shields as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 88 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shields most popular?
The single biggest year for Shields was 1915, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shields is about 83 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shields a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shields in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.