2000
#2,905
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,367
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.21
Uncommon Last name
Shackelford
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "knight's ford" or "ford by the shakelys (huts)."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,319 Americans carry the last name Shackelford. That puts it at #3,278 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,823 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shackelford 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 27,823
Census rank
#3,278
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,743 bearers of the surname Shackelford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3278th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shackelford, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (16.7%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shackelford
The surname Shackelford originates from England and dates back to the medieval era. It is an Anglo-Saxon name derived from the Old English words "sceacol" meaning shake or rattle, and "ford" meaning a shallow place where a river can be crossed. This suggests the name may have referred to someone who lived near a ford over a stream or river with a shaky or rickety bridge.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Schachelford." This ancient manuscript, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a survey of land and property in England. The entry likely refers to a location or landowner bearing the name.
By the 13th century, the name had evolved to spellings closer to the modern form, such as "Shackelford" and "Shakelford." These variations can be found in various medieval records and charters from counties like Surrey and Buckinghamshire.
One notable early bearer of the name was Sir Walter de Shackelford, a knight from Shackleford in Surrey, who fought in the Hundred Years' War between England and France in the 14th century.
In the 16th century, William Shackelford was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol. He served as Mayor of Bristol in 1576.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Captain John Shackelford fought for the Parliamentarian forces against King Charles I. He was killed in action at the Battle of Lansdowne in 1643.
Another individual of note was Reverend Samuel Shackelford, a Baptist minister born in Virginia in 1770. He was an influential figure in the early years of the Baptist movement in the American colonies.
In the 19th century, Sir Edward Shackelford was a British diplomat and administrator who served as Governor of the Bahamas from 1854 to 1857.
These examples illustrate the long history and geographical spread of the Shackelford surname, which has its roots in the rural landscapes of medieval England but has been carried by individuals of various professions and accomplishments throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shackelford
Among Census respondents with the surname Shackelford, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (16.7%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Shackelford 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 Shackelford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.0% · 7,843
- Black or African American16.7% · 1,789
- Two or more races5.6% · 598
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 335
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 121
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shackelford
Shackelford 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
#3,130
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,525
+158 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 3.91
Rank movement Down 225 places
2020
#3,278
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,743
-782 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 3.59
Rank movement Down 148 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,905 | 11,367 | 4.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,130 | 11,525 | 3.91 | +158 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 225 places |
| 2020 | #3,278 | 10,743 | 3.59 | -782 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 148 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 Shackelford 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 | #3,130 | #3,278 | -4.7% |
| Count | 11,525 | 10,743 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.91 | 3.59 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shackelford bearers went from 11,525 to 10,743 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 148 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,130 to #3,278.
FAQ
Shackelford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shackelford?
Name Census estimates that about 12,319 living Americans carry the surname Shackelford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,823 residents.
How common is Shackelford?
Shackelford ranks #3,278 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.59 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 10,743 people with the surname Shackelford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,319), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.59 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 Shackelford.
Has Shackelford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shackelford went from 11,525 recorded bearers to 10,743. That is a decrease of 782 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,130 to #3,278.
What does the Census say about the background of Shackelford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shackelford, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (16.7%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Shackelford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.0% (7,843 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shackelford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.0%), Black (16.7%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Shackelford (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 Shackelford mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "knight's ford" or "ford by the shakelys (huts)." 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 Shackelford (3.59 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 Shackelford?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.