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

Shain, 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 Shain surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shain in America

Shain is the 12510th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shain surname appeared 2,478 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Shain.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shain 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 Shain

The surname SHAIN has its origins in the German language, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century in the region of Bavaria. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "schein," which translates to "bright" or "shining," suggesting that the name may have initially been a descriptive term referring to someone with a radiant or luminous appearance.

One of the earliest known records of the SHAIN surname can be found in the Bavarian town of Nuremberg, where a merchant named Hans Shain was documented in the city's archives in the year 1547. This entry provides valuable insight into the name's prevalence in the region during the Renaissance period.

In the 17th century, the SHAIN surname made its way into various historical records, including church registers and legal documents. Notably, a farmer named Johann Shain was mentioned in a land dispute in the village of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in 1628, shedding light on the name's presence in rural communities during that era.

As the name continued to spread across German-speaking regions, variations in spelling began to emerge, such as Schein, Schaine, and Schayn. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and linguistic differences.

One notable figure bearing the SHAIN surname was Friedrich Shain, a philosopher and educator born in Würzburg in 1792. His contributions to the field of education and his published works on ethics and moral philosophy have left a lasting impact on German intellectual thought.

Another prominent individual was Karl Shain, a German artist and painter who lived from 1845 to 1910. His masterful landscapes and portraits garnered widespread acclaim, and his works can be found in various museums and private collections throughout Europe.

In the 20th century, the SHAIN surname gained international recognition through the achievements of Hans Shain, a renowned German-American engineer and inventor who played a pivotal role in the development of rocket technology. Born in 1892 in Munich, his innovative work with liquid-fueled rockets and contributions to the field of aeronautics have left an indelible mark on the history of space exploration.

While the SHAIN surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and the dispersal of families over the centuries. Today, the name can be found in numerous countries, reflecting the rich cultural diversity and global reach of its bearers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shain

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

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 Shain 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 Shain 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 Shain was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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