2000
#8,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,758
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.39
Rare Last name
Shanklin
A locational surname referring to someone from the Old English town of Shanklin on the Isle of Wight.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,227 Americans carry the last name Shanklin. That puts it at #8,566 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,087 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shanklin 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
4.2K
1 in 81,087
Census rank
#8,566
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,686 bearers of the surname Shanklin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8566th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shanklin, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.8%. The next largest groups are Black (41.6%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shanklin
The surname Shanklin is of English origin, specifically from the town of Shanklin on the Isle of Wight. The name is derived from the Old English words "scanca" meaning shank or leg, and "lin" meaning a small hill or ridge, referring to the town's location on a ridge or slope.
Shanklin is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Senclinges", indicating that the name and settlement existed during the Norman Conquest of England. In the 12th century, the name appeared as "Sancelina" and "Schanckelyn", reflecting the evolution of the spelling over time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Shanklin was John Shanklin, born in 1590 in Shanklin, Isle of Wight. He was a prominent landowner and farmer in the area. Another early bearer of the name was William Shanklin, born in 1625, also from the Isle of Wight, who served as a local magistrate.
In the 18th century, the Shanklin family played a significant role in the development of the town as a seaside resort. Thomas Shanklin (1725-1799) was a successful merchant and landowner who helped establish Shanklin as a popular destination for visitors seeking the therapeutic benefits of sea bathing.
Notable individuals with the Shanklin surname include Sir John Shanklin (1810-1888), a British industrialist and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the Isle of Wight from 1857 to 1868. Mary Shanklin (1844-1923) was a celebrated artist and painter, known for her landscapes and coastal scenes of the Isle of Wight.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded bearers of the Shanklin name was John Shanklin, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. His descendants later migrated westward, and the Shanklin family became prominent in Kentucky and Tennessee. Benjamin Shanklin (1780-1855) was a pioneer settler and farmer in Tennessee, while William Shanklin (1835-1909) served as a Union officer during the American Civil War.
Overall, the surname Shanklin has a rich history rooted in the English Isle of Wight, with bearers of the name playing significant roles in various fields, including agriculture, politics, art, and military service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shanklin
Among Census respondents with the surname Shanklin, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.8%. The next largest groups are Black (41.6%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Shanklin 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 Shanklin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.8% · 1,799
- Black or African American41.6% · 1,532
- Two or more races4.9% · 180
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 122
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shanklin
Shanklin 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
#8,645
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,804
+46 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 518 places
2020
#8,566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,686
-118 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Up 79 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,127 | 3,758 | 1.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,645 | 3,804 | 1.29 | +46 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 518 places |
| 2020 | #8,566 | 3,686 | 1.23 | -118 bearers (-3.1%) | Up 79 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 Shanklin 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 | #8,645 | #8,566 | 0.9% |
| Count | 3,804 | 3,686 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.29 | 1.23 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shanklin bearers went from 3,804 to 3,686 (-3.1% change). The surname moved up 79 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,645 to #8,566.
FAQ
Shanklin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shanklin?
Name Census estimates that about 4,227 living Americans carry the surname Shanklin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,087 residents.
How common is Shanklin?
Shanklin ranks #8,566 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,686 people with the surname Shanklin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,227), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Shanklin.
Has Shanklin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shanklin went from 3,804 recorded bearers to 3,686. That is a decrease of 118 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,645 to #8,566.
What does the Census say about the background of Shanklin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shanklin, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.8%. The next largest groups are Black (41.6%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Shanklin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.8% (1,799 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shanklin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (48.8%), Black (41.6%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Shanklin (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 Shanklin mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from the Old English town of Shanklin on the Isle of Wight. 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 Shanklin (1.23 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 share the surname Shanklin?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.