2000
#4,674
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,940
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.57
Rare Last name
Shade
An English occupational surname referring to a person who made coverings for windows or doors.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,759 Americans carry the last name Shade. That puts it at #5,024 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,175 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shade 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Shade with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.8K
1 in 44,175
Census rank
#5,024
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,766 bearers of the surname Shade in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5024th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shade, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shade
The surname Shade originated in Germany during the Middle Ages, derived from the medieval German word "schade," meaning "harm" or "damage." This name was likely initially bestowed as a descriptive nickname upon an individual who had suffered some form of misfortune or injury.
The earliest known record of the name Shade dates back to the late 13th century in the town of Nürnberg, where a certain Conrad Schade is mentioned in a local chronicle from the year 1287. This suggests that the name had already been in use as a hereditary surname by that time.
Shade is also believed to have been derived from the Old English word "sceadu," meaning "shade" or "shadow." This connection implies that the name may have been given to someone who lived or worked in a shaded or forested area, or perhaps someone with a darker complexion.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Johann Shade (c. 1430-1503) was a German theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Erfurt. His writings on logic and metaphysics were influential during the Renaissance period.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Shade. However, there are several entries related to place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as "Schadewelle" (meaning "shaded well") and "Schadeworth" (meaning "shaded enclosure").
Another noteworthy individual bearing the Shade surname was Jakob Shade (1585-1637), a German Protestant minister and author who published several religious works during the early years of the Thirty Years' War.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure named Samuel Shade (1718-1792) was a successful merchant and landowner in Pennsylvania, United States. He was one of the earliest settlers of German descent in the region and played a significant role in the development of the local community.
During the American Revolutionary War, a soldier named John Shade (c. 1755-1823) served in the Continental Army and participated in several major battles, including the Battle of Trenton and the Battle of Princeton.
In the 19th century, a German-American artist named Frederick Shade (1832-1906) gained recognition for his landscape paintings, particularly those depicting the natural beauty of the Catskill Mountains in New York.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shade
Among Census respondents with the surname Shade, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Shade 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 Shade surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.1% · 4,948
- Black or African American16.4% · 1,110
- Two or more races5.4% · 368
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 205
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shade
Shade 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
#4,919
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,148
+208 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 2.42
Rank movement Down 245 places
2020
#5,024
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,766
-382 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Down 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,674 | 6,940 | 2.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,919 | 7,148 | 2.42 | +208 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 245 places |
| 2020 | #5,024 | 6,766 | 2.26 | -382 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 105 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 Shade 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 | #4,919 | #5,024 | -2.1% |
| Count | 7,148 | 6,766 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.42 | 2.26 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shade bearers went from 7,148 to 6,766 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,919 to #5,024.
FAQ
Shade surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shade?
Name Census estimates that about 7,759 living Americans carry the surname Shade. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,175 residents.
How common is Shade?
Shade ranks #5,024 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,766 people with the surname Shade. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,759), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Shade.
Has Shade become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shade went from 7,148 recorded bearers to 6,766. That is a decrease of 382 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,919 to #5,024.
What does the Census say about the background of Shade?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shade, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Shade in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.1% (4,948 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shade appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.1%), Black (16.4%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Shade (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 Shade mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who made coverings for windows or doors. 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 Shade (2.26 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 common is the surname Shade?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Shade at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.