2000
#22,461
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,069
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.40
Rare Last name
Shakespeare
An occupational surname derived from the Old English words meaning "to shake" and "spear", likely referring to someone who shook or brandished a spear.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,485 Americans carry the last name Shakespeare. That puts it at #20,699 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 230,811 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shakespeare 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 Shakespeare with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.5K
1 in 230,811
Census rank
#20,699
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,295 bearers of the surname Shakespeare in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20699th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shakespeare, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Black (27.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (8.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shakespeare
The surname Shakespeare is of English origin, with roots dating back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have evolved from the Old English words "sycer" or "sceacere," meaning "to shake" or "to brandish," combined with "spere," referring to a spear or lance. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for someone who shook or brandished a spear or lance, possibly a soldier or watchman.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Shakespere." The Hundred Rolls were administrative records compiled in England during the reign of King Edward I. This early spelling variation highlights the fluidity of surnames during that time period.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and properties compiled in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror, does not contain any direct references to the Shakespeare surname. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as "Schippesberia" (now known as Shipsbury) in Worcestershire.
Throughout the centuries, the Shakespeare surname has been associated with various notable individuals. One of the most famous bearers of the name is, of course, William Shakespeare, the renowned English playwright and poet born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. His works, including plays like "Hamlet," "Macbeth," and "Romeo and Juliet," have had a profound impact on literature and the English language itself.
Another notable figure with the Shakespeare surname is Sir Richmond Campbell Shakespeare, a British naval officer and explorer born in 1866. He was involved in several expeditions to the Arctic regions and was knighted for his contributions to geographical discovery.
In the world of sports, Wilbur Shakespeare was an American baseball player born in 1888. He played as an outfielder for several teams in Major League Baseball, including the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Indians, during the early 20th century.
The surname Shakespeare has also been associated with academics and scholars. For instance, John Shakespeare, born in 1869, was a British educator and headmaster who served as the Principal of the Church of England Grammar School in Sydney, Australia, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Finally, Edward Oram Shakespeare was a British artist and illustrator born in 1846. He was known for his illustrations for various literary works, including those of Charles Dickens and Sir Walter Scott.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shakespeare
Among Census respondents with the surname Shakespeare, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Black (27.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (8.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Shakespeare 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 Shakespeare surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.5% · 706
- Black or African American27.4% · 355
- American Indian and Alaska Native8.0% · 103
- Two or more races5.5% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shakespeare
Shakespeare 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
#20,739
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,275
+206 bearers (+19.3%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Up 1,722 places
2020
#20,699
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,295
+20 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Up 40 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,461 | 1,069 | 0.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,739 | 1,275 | 0.43 | +206 bearers (+19.3%) | Up 1,722 places |
| 2020 | #20,699 | 1,295 | 0.43 | +20 bearers (+1.6%) | Up 40 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 Shakespeare 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 | #20,739 | #20,699 | 0.2% |
| Count | 1,275 | 1,295 | 1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.43 | 0.43 | 0.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shakespeare bearers went from 1,275 to 1,295 (+1.6% change). The surname moved up 40 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,739 to #20,699.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Shakespeare
FAQ
Shakespeare surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shakespeare?
Name Census estimates that about 1,485 living Americans carry the surname Shakespeare. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 230,811 residents.
How common is Shakespeare?
Shakespeare ranks #20,699 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,295 people with the surname Shakespeare. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,485), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Shakespeare.
Has Shakespeare become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shakespeare went from 1,275 recorded bearers to 1,295. That is an increase of 20 (+1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,739 to #20,699.
What does the Census say about the background of Shakespeare?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shakespeare, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Black (27.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (8.0%). 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 Shakespeare in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.5% (706 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shakespeare appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (54.5%), Black (27.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (8.0%). 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 Shakespeare (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 Shakespeare mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Old English words meaning "to shake" and "spear", likely referring to someone who shook or brandished a spear. 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 Shakespeare (0.43 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 Americans have the surname Shakespeare?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.