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

Shallow, 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 Shallow surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shallow in America

Shallow is the 30889th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shallow surname appeared 753 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Shallow.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shallow 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 Shallow

The surname "SHALLOW" is of English origin, and it is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "scealdū," which means "shallow water" or "a ford." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a shallow body of water or a ford, which was a shallow part of a river or stream where it was possible to cross on foot or horseback.

The earliest known record of the name "SHALLOW" dates back to the 14th century, appearing in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1332, where a William Shalowe is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already in use by that time and had likely been established for some time before then.

In the 15th century, the name is found in various records, including the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1428, which mentions a Thomas Shalowe. The Hearth Tax Rolls of 1674 also record a John Shallow in Cambridgeshire.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname "SHALLOW" was Thomas Shalowe (c. 1380-1450), an English lawyer and judge who served as a Justice of the Common Pleas during the reign of Henry VI. Another notable figure was Sir Richard Shallow (c. 1560-1632), an English courtier and Member of Parliament during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I.

In literature, the name "SHALLOW" is famously associated with the character of Justice Robert Shallow in William Shakespeare's play "The Merry Wives of Windsor," first performed in 1597. The character is portrayed as a shallow and foolish country justice, and his name is likely a play on his shallow nature and lack of depth.

Other notable individuals with the surname "SHALLOW" include John Shallow (1595-1648), an English clergyman and author, and William Shallow (1610-1691), an English merchant and member of the East India Company.

The name "SHALLOW" is also found in various place names, such as Shallow Brook in Gloucestershire and Shallow Grange in Yorkshire, further reinforcing its connection to bodies of water or low-lying areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shallow

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

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

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

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