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

Shanks, 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 Shanks surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shanks in America

Shanks is the 3031st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shanks surname appeared 11,822 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Shanks.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shanks 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 Shanks

The surname "SHANKS" is believed to have originated in Scotland, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "shank," which referred to a leg or the part of the leg between the knee and the ankle.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname "SHANKS" can be found in medieval Scottish records and documents. One notable example is the mention of a "John Shanks" in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the year 1327.

In some cases, the surname "SHANKS" may have originated as a descriptive nickname, referring to a person with particularly notable or distinctive legs or calves. It could also have been an occupational name for someone who worked with or made leg coverings or armor.

The surname "SHANKS" is also associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Shankston and Shanks Glen. These place names likely originated from individuals or families bearing the surname "SHANKS" who lived in or owned land in those areas.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname "SHANKS" was Sir John Shanks, a Scottish knight who lived in the late 14th century. Another notable figure was Robert Shanks, a Scottish merchant and burgess of Edinburgh, who was active in the early 16th century.

In the 17th century, the surname "SHANKS" gained prominence with the birth of Sir Michael Shanks (1601-1679), a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland.

Another individual of historical significance was John Gaspard Shanks (1764-1842), a British mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the calculation of pi and other mathematical constants.

In the 19th century, the name "SHANKS" was carried by John James Shanks (1820-1869), an Irish-born Australian explorer and surveyor who played a key role in the exploration and mapping of Western Australia.

One final notable individual with the surname "SHANKS" was Sir Michael Shanks (1896-1971), a British Army officer who served with distinction during World War I and World War II, receiving numerous military honors and decorations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shanks

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!