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

Shamus, 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 Shamus surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shamus in America

Shamus is the 90495th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shamus surname appeared 204 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 Shamus.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shamus 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 Shamus

The surname "SHAMUS" originated in Ireland, specifically in the counties of Munster and Connacht. It can be traced back to the 12th century and is an anglicized form of the Gaelic name "Séamus," which is derived from the Hebrew name "Jacob."

The earliest recorded instances of the name appear in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle of medieval Irish history written between the 16th and 17th centuries. It mentions several individuals with variations of the name, such as "Shamus O'Brien" and "Shamus O'Connor."

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Shamus O'Malley, a renowned Irish poet and musician who lived in the 15th century. His works have been preserved in various manuscripts and collections of Irish literature.

In the 16th century, Shamus O'Neill, a chieftain from County Tyrone, played a significant role in the Nine Years' War against English rule in Ireland. He was a prominent figure in the Irish resistance and is mentioned in several historical accounts of the time.

Another notable figure was Shamus O'Reilly, born in 1678, who was a prominent Irish Catholic priest and scholar. He wrote several works on theology and philosophy and was known for his advocacy of Irish language and culture.

During the 18th century, Shamus O'Connor, born in 1720, was a renowned Irish fiddler and composer. His music, which blended traditional Irish melodies with classical influences, was widely popular and has been passed down through generations of musicians.

The name "SHAMUS" has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Shamus Lough in County Donegal and Shamus Bridge in County Cork. These locations likely derived their names from individuals or families who bore the surname.

While the name has its roots in Ireland, it has spread to other parts of the world due to Irish immigration. Bearers of the surname can be found in countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shamus

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

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

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

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