2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shapcott
An English surname derived from a place name, likely meaning "cottage on the sheep path."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Shapcott. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shapcott 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Shapcott with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Shapcott in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shapcott, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shapcott
The surname Shapcott is of English origin, specifically from the county of Devon in the southwest of England. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "sceap" meaning sheep and "cot" meaning cottage or shelter, suggesting that the name initially referred to a sheep shelter or a place where sheep were kept.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Shapcott name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appeared as "Scapcote," referring to a place in Devon.
During the 13th century, the surname Shapcott emerged in various records and documents from the region. In 1242, a Richard de Schapcote was recorded in the Assize Rolls of Devonshire, while a Walter de Schapcote was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Somerset in 1257.
The name Shapcott is closely associated with the village of Shapcott in Devon, which likely derived its name from the same Old English roots as the surname. The manor of Shapcott was held by the Shapcott family for several centuries, with records indicating their presence as early as the 13th century.
One notable figure bearing the Shapcott surname was Sir Richard Shapcott (c. 1480 - 1565), a member of the gentry from Devon who served as a Member of Parliament for Totnes in 1554 and 1555. Another prominent individual was John Shapcott (1545 - 1608), an English clergyman who served as the Dean of Exeter from 1600 until his death.
In the 17th century, the Shapcott name appeared in various records, including the marriage of Roger Shapcott and Joane Quicke in Exeter in 1603, and the birth of their son, John Shapcott, in 1605.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, several individuals with the Shapcott surname made notable contributions. Thomas Shapcott (1770 - 1846) was an English writer and poet, while John Wyndham Shapcott (1810 - 1883) was a prominent Anglican clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Exeter from 1870 until his death.
Throughout history, the Shapcott surname has maintained a strong presence in Devon and the surrounding areas, with various branches of the family maintaining connections to the region and its rich heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shapcott
Among Census respondents with the surname Shapcott, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Shapcott 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 Shapcott surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 100
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shapcott
Shapcott appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-5 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,594 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 3,594 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 Shapcott 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 | #149,395 | #152,989 | -2.4% |
| Count | 110 | 105 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shapcott bearers went from 110 to 105 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 3,594 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #152,989.
FAQ
Shapcott surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shapcott?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Shapcott. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Shapcott?
Shapcott ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Shapcott. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Shapcott.
Has Shapcott become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shapcott went from 110 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Shapcott?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shapcott, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Shapcott in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shapcott appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Two or More Races (3.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Shapcott (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 Shapcott mean?
An English surname derived from a place name, likely meaning "cottage on the sheep path." 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 Shapcott (0.04 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 Shapcott?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.