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

Shamy, 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 Shamy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shamy in America

Shamy is the 59742nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shamy surname appeared 338 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 Shamy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shamy 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 Shamy

The surname "SHAMY" is believed to have originated in the Middle East, specifically in the region of modern-day Syria and Lebanon. It can be traced back to the Arabic word "shamī," which means "from Sham," referring to the historical Levant region that encompassed parts of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname "SHAMY" can be found in medieval Arabic manuscripts and documents from the 11th to 13th centuries. It was often used to identify individuals who hailed from the cities of Damascus, Aleppo, or other major urban centers in the Levant region.

One of the notable historical figures bearing the surname "SHAMY" was Ibn al-Shamy (1218-1268), a renowned Arab scholar and writer who authored several works on hadith (prophetic traditions) and Islamic jurisprudence. He was born in Damascus and spent most of his life in the city, contributing significantly to its intellectual and academic circles.

In the 14th century, the "SHAMY" surname appeared in Ottoman Turkish records, particularly in regions that were under Ottoman rule, such as parts of the Levant and Anatolia. This was likely due to the influence of Arabic and the migration of populations within the Ottoman Empire.

Another prominent individual with the surname "SHAMY" was Ahmad al-Shamy (1504-1566), a Syrian-born Ottoman scholar and jurist who served as the Sharia judge of Istanbul during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. His writings on Islamic law and theology were widely respected in his time.

During the 19th century, as migration and travel became more common, the "SHAMY" surname began to appear in various parts of the world, including Europe and the Americas. One notable figure was Khalil al-Shamy (1852-1925), a Lebanese writer and poet who played a significant role in the Nahda, the Arab literary renaissance of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In more recent times, the surname "SHAMY" has been carried by several influential figures, such as Samih al-Shamy (1923-2017), a renowned Palestinian-American folklorist and scholar of Arab culture and literature. He taught at Indiana University and authored numerous books on Arab folklore and oral traditions.

Additionally, Elias Shamy (1908-1987), an Egyptian-born American actor, appeared in several Hollywood films and television shows throughout the mid-20th century, often portraying characters of Middle Eastern descent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shamy

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

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

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

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