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

Shands, 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 Shands surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shands in America

Shands is the 19398th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shands surname appeared 1,393 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 Shands.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shands 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 Shands

The surname SHANDS has its roots in northern England, primarily in the counties of Northumberland and Yorkshire, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "scand," which means "shame" or "disgrace," possibly referring to someone who had committed a dishonorable act.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England, there are several entries for individuals with the surname SHANDS or similar spellings, such as Schande and Schand. These early records suggest that the name was already established in the region by the late 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname SHANDS was Robert de Schand, who lived in Yorkshire in the late 12th century. Another notable figure was William Shands, a merchant from Newcastle upon Tyne, who was mentioned in historical documents from the 15th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname SHANDS began to spread across other parts of England, including the counties of Lancashire and Derbyshire. It is also during this period that variations in spelling, such as Shand and Shande, became more common.

One of the most prominent individuals with the surname SHANDS was Sir John Shands (1592-1651), a member of the English Parliament and a supporter of the Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War. Another notable figure was Robert Shands (1668-1734), a prominent landowner and Justice of the Peace in Yorkshire.

In the 18th century, the SHANDS surname began to appear in Scotland, particularly in the regions of Aberdeenshire and Moray, possibly due to migration from northern England. One of the earliest recorded Scottish individuals with the surname was James Shand (1723-1798), a farmer and landowner in Aberdeenshire.

As the centuries progressed, the surname SHANDS continued to spread across the British Isles and eventually to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, as a result of emigration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shands

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

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

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

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