2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shakley
An English surname derived from a place name, possibly referring to someone from Shackley, Lancashire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Shakley. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shakley 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Shakley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shakley, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (3.8%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shakley
The surname SHAKLEY is of English origin, first recorded in the Middle Ages around the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from a place name, likely a town or village where the first bearers of the name resided.
One potential source is the Old English word "scacol", meaning a shallow valley or dell, combined with the suffix "-leah", meaning a woodland clearing or meadow. This suggests that SHAKLEY may have referred to someone living in or near a wooded valley or dell.
Another possibility is that SHAKLEY derives from a combination of the Old English words "sceac" and "leah", meaning a shaky or quaking meadow, perhaps describing a marshy or unstable area where the name's originators lived.
Early records mention a Robert de Shackeley from Yorkshire in 1297, and a John Shakley from Cheshire in 1332, indicating the name's presence in various regions of northern England during the medieval period.
While the name does not appear in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, it is found in other historical documents and manuscripts from the 13th century onwards, solidifying its longstanding presence in England.
One notable bearer of the SHAKLEY surname was William Shakley (c.1515-1588), an English landowner and member of Parliament who represented Derbyshire in the House of Commons during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another was Thomas Shakley (1617-1692), a Puritan minister and author who served as the pastor of the First Church of Dorchester, Massachusetts, in the early colonial era of New England.
In the 18th century, John Shakley (1730-1798) was a prominent merchant and shipping magnate based in Bristol, England, who played a role in the city's thriving maritime trade during that period.
Moving into the 19th century, Martha Shakley (1838-1911) was a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights, founding several schools and institutions aimed at promoting educational opportunities for young women in the American Midwest.
Finally, one of the more recent historical figures with the SHAKLEY surname was Sir George Shakley (1892-1973), a British diplomat and ambassador who served in various postings throughout Europe and the Middle East during the first half of the 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shakley
Among Census respondents with the surname Shakley, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (3.8%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Shakley 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 Shakley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 99
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.8% · 4
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shakley
Shakley 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-12 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 22,929 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+4 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,723 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 22,929 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+4.0%) | Up 6,723 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 Shakley 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 | #159,712 | #152,989 | 4.2% |
| Count | 101 | 105 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shakley bearers went from 101 to 105 (+4.0% change). The surname moved up 6,723 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #152,989.
FAQ
Shakley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shakley?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Shakley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Shakley?
Shakley ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 105 people with the surname Shakley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Shakley.
Has Shakley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shakley went from 101 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 4 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Shakley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shakley, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (3.8%) and Black (1.9%). 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 Shakley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shakley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.8%), Black (1.9%). 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 Shakley (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 Shakley mean?
An English surname derived from a place name, possibly referring to someone from Shackley, Lancashire. 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 Shakley (0.04 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 have the last name Shakley?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Shakley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.